Reincarnation
by Allen the Musician
Summary: AU Do you believe in life after death? That someone who died can come back for a second chance at life? Follow along as an unusual child changes the lives of all those around him. Hope you enjoy. Hitsu-kinda ,IchiRuki OriIshi. Please read and review.
1. The Child

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach or any of the characters however the plot and the OCs are mine.

**Reincarnation**

Do you believe in life after death? Or that the cycle is continuous? Can someone 

who died, twice, come back for a third try at life? Ichigo and Rukia are traveling 

in the country when they encounter a boy who looks eerily familiar. Is it a coincidence

or something much more miraculous? Follow along as the child changes the lives of 

all those around him and they, in turn, change him.

**Chapter One- The Child**

Ten years had passed since the war with Aizen and the Espada and Squad Five Captain Ichigo Kurosaki was out walking through the countryside with his vice-captain and fiancée Rukia Kuchiki. The pair of them had been battling Hollow a lot lately and had both decided that they could use a break so, leaving the third seat of their squad in charge of patrol, Rukia had packed them a picnic lunch and together they'd set out toward a river where they frequently went to relax.

The two were laughing and talking when they passed by a rather glum looking building. It was a two story brick house surrounded by a six foot black iron fence, which was covered in vines. As they passed Rukia glanced over at the yard and her eyes grew wide. She gasped, gaining Ichigo's attention.

"What is it Rukia?" Ichigo asked, turning to gaze at her.

"Look," Rukia said, pointing toward a large cherry tree.

Ichigo's gaze followed her finger and his eyes grew wide as well. Standing under a tree, dressed in a pair of torn jeans and a plain white t-shirt was a small boy. And it wasn't the child's haggard appearance that held the two Shinigami spellbound. No, this child bore an uncanny resemblance to a friend of theirs who'd died in the battle with Aizen.

"Ichigo, we have to find out what this means."

Nodding Ichigo led the way over to the iron gate. Reaching for the latch, he had the gate halfway open when he and Rukia heard a harsh voice call out, "Shiro! What the devil are you doing out here boy? How many times do I have to tell you not to wander off? One of these days I'm going to. . ."

The small white-haired boy gazed up at the middle aged woman who was hurrying over to him, a scared look in his eyes, but didn't say a word.

"Excuse me," Ichigo said as he and Rukia walked toward the pair.

The woman turned toward Ichigo and the sour look on her face immediately turned into a smile. "How can I help you sir? Are you and your lovely wife looking to adopt a child?"

"So this is an orphanage," Ichigo thought to himself. He offered the woman a charming smile. "Yes. We were walking by on our way out for a picnic when my wife saw this sweet little boy standing in the yard and she simply fell in love with him."

Rukia fought the urge to smile, marveling at Ichigo's acting skills. The man who was talking wasn't even remotely similar to the Ichigo that she knew and loved. Apparently, contrary to the popular opinion of everyone in the Seireitei, Ichigo really could use manners when it suited his purpose.

"Oh," the woman said, her smile fading. "I'm sure you'd be much happier with one of our other children. Shiro is sweet but he's also a little strange. The boy's been here for over six months and he's never once said a word to anyone. And sometimes he just stands around staring off into space with a terrified expression on his face, like he sees things that the rest of us can't."

Rukia and Ichigo turned toward one another and a look passed between them. Both understood what they had to do and Rukia turned back to the woman. "Oh no it has to be this boy. He's the cutest thing I've ever seen."

And to illustrate her point Rukia walked over, knelt down, and threw her arms around the child.

The little boy tensed as the strange woman wrapped her arms around him, as though he expected to be struck. Releasing her hold Rukia stared into the boy's eyes and saw that they were a vivid blue-green, the exact same shade as Captain Hitsugaya's.

"It has to be him," Ichigo said.

"Very well," the woman said, gesturing toward the run down building. "Come with me and we'll fill out the paperwork."

The woman took the child by the hand and practically dragged him toward the building, followed closely by Ichigo and Rukia. The woman led them to a small, cramped office where she sat them down in front of a desk and handed them a mound of paperwork.

"I'll leave you to it," the woman said, pulling the child toward the door. "And I'll come back to check on you later."

And with that Ichigo and Rukia were left alone.

"Damn," Ichigo swore as he surveyed the huge stack of paperwork that the woman had left. "They're on to us Rukia, they know my weakness."

Shaking her head Rukia picked up a pen. "I'll do the paperwork, Captain. I know the strain would simply be too much for you."

Rukia worked in silence for awhile and then she turned to her fiancé, the pen held to her lips. "Should we change his name Ichigo? There's a space here for name and the lady we spoke to told me on the way in here that Shiro isn't actually his name. They don't know what his name is, they just call him Shiro because of his white hair."

"Toushirou," Ichigo said without hesitation. "In honor of a friend. Toushirou Kurosaki. But we'll keep calling him Shiro because it's what he's used to."

With a nod Rukia filled in the space.

After they completed the massive stack of paperwork that pronounced the young white haired child to be Toushirou Kurosaki, Ichigo and Rukia left the glum looking building and returned to the fresh air and sunshine outside. And tagging along beside Rukia, his small hand held tightly in hers, was the little boy.

Once they were outside and free of the angry looking woman Rukia knelt in front of Shiro and stared into his blue-green eyes. "Shiro, I'm Rukia and this is Ichigo and you don't have to be afraid of us. I promise we won't allow anything to hurt you."

Ichigo nodded, offering the young boy a smile. "You're safe with us kiddo."

Shiro stared first into Rukia's kind face and then up at Ichigo's and, for the first time since they'd laid eyes on him, the young child smiled. It was a faint smile however it was progress and they were happy about it.

"Well," Ichigo said, as Rukia stood up and once again grasped Shiro's hand. "I guess we should go to Soul Society and show Ukitake what we found. It might cheer the old man up."

"Maybe," Rukia said although she was thinking to herself that he would probably think they'd lost their minds.

Ichigo led the way to the permanent Senkaimon that had been set up at his house. Thanks to Urahara this gate to Soul Society was equipped with a converter that allowed the living to travel there without the inconvenience of having to die first. At first Shiro seemed scared to enter the strange gate however with a little coaxing from Rukia he followed her and Ichigo inside. Traveling to Soul Society Ichigo made his way immediately to the Squad One barracks, where he knocked on the door. "Captain of Squad Five Ichigo Kurosaki requesting a meeting."

"Enter."

Ichigo slid the door open and stepped inside the Head Captain's office. Captain of Squad One and Head Captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads Jyuushirou Ukitake sat behind his desk working on a large stack of paperwork. He glanced up and watched as Ichigo walked across the office. "Hello Ichigo."

"What is it with you captains and paperwork?" Ichigo asked as he came to stand in front of the Head Captain's desk.

"Us captains?" Ukitake repeated, shaking his head toward the captain of Squad Five. "In case you've forgotten Ichigo you're one of 'us captains' now and we do have a lot of work to do."

"Uh huh," Ichigo said, gazing at the older captain and noticing that he looked sad. This wasn't anything unusual, the Head Captain hadn't been himself since the war however Ichigo noticed that he looked worse today somehow. "Are you okay Ukitake?"

Ukitake nodded, attempting to smile. "I'm fine. Just a little stressed out."

That answer was a lie and Ichigo knew it. Ukitake had been depressed ever since the war with Aizen and he'd nearly had a nervous breakdown at the funeral for Captain Hitsugaya. Hitsugaya's funeral had come at the end of a week filled with the mourning of the fallen and everyone, especially Ukitake, were nearing their breaking point. And listening as his subordinates and friends spoke of the fallen captain of Squad Ten had almost been too much for Ukitake. The little captain had been like a son to the Head Captain and his death had hit Ukitake especially hard. The only one who'd taken it worse had been Momo, whom Hitsugaya had been attempting to save, along with Rukia, when he'd been struck by the fatal blow from Aizen. 

"So what brings you here Captain Kurosaki?" Ukitake asked, in an attempt to break the awkward silence that had fallen.

"Rukia and I have someone we'd like for you to meet," Ichigo replied.

"Really?" Ukitake said. "And who might that be?"

"Our new son," Ichigo informed him.

Ukitake's eyes grew wide and he stared at Ichigo in disbelief. "Son?"

Ichigo nodded. "Rukia and I were walking by this orphanage today when she saw this little boy that we just had to bring home. And you know how Rukia gets when she wants something, what could I do? Would you like to meet him?"

Ukitake nodded, at a loss for words. He had never expected something like this to happen. Normal Shinigami did not travel to the world of the living, adopt children and then bring them to the Seireitei. However he'd known for awhile that Ichigo wasn't normal so he wasn't really sure why anything the Squad Five captain did surprised him anymore.

"Come on in Rukia," Ichigo called out.

The door slid open once more and Rukia stepped into the office. And clutching her hand and looking utterly bewildered was a small white-haired boy. Ukitake gasped when his gaze fell upon the boy and he stood up and walked around to the front of his desk.

"Come on Shiro," Rukia said softly, coaxing the child to follow her into the office. "You don't have to be afraid. No one's going to hurt you."

The child followed her, although slightly reluctantly, and she led him over to the spot where Ichigo and Ukitake stood. "Head Captain Ukitake this is Shiro. Shiro this is your Grandpa Ukitake."

Shiro stared up at Ukitake and offered the man a tentative smile.

Ukitake knelt so that he could be at eye level with the child and he stared into Shiro's blue-green eyes. The boy's eyes were the thing that held his attention, the exact shape and color of the late Captain Hitsugaya's. "This is unbelievable."

"We thought so too," Rukia said and Ichigo added, "Now you see why we couldn't just leave him."

"I understand," Head Captain Ukitake said, straightening back up. "Does the child show any other similarities other than looks?"

"Well," Rukia said. "The lady at the orphanage said that Shiro gazes off into the distance as though he can see things others can't but the child doesn't speak so I can't ask what he sees. However if I had to guess I would say Hollow."

"We'll have to test that theory," Ukitake said.

At that moment the group heard a loud obnoxious beeping noise issuing from Rukia's pocket. Rukia pulled her communicator from her pocket, flipped it open and gazed at the screen. "It's your third seat, Ryuu. He has a problem and needs us to come back to the world of the living."

"Dammit," Ichigo said, rolling his eyes as he thought about his third seat. "Can't that guy handle anything on his own? What should we do with Shiro while we attend to this? We can't take him with us into a battle."

"I have an idea," Ukitake said. "Momo should be done with classes by now. Maybe she'd agree to watch him."

"That's a good idea," Rukia said, taking Shiro's hand. "I'll go and ask."

Ichigo nodded and he and Ukitake watched as Rukia and the child left the office.

Rukia led the way across the Seireitei to the Shinigami Academy, where the former vice-captain of Squad Five, Momo Hinamori, was now an instructor. Holding Shiro's hand tightly Rukia walked down the hall to the classroom that belonged to Hinamori. When they arrived she knocked lightly on the door.

"Come in," a soft voice called out.

Rukia and Shiro entered the room and to Rukia's surprise the child, who had seemed shy and slightly anti-social up until this point, pulled his hand free from hers and ran over to Hinamori. When he reached her he threw his arms around her legs and held on for dear life.

Hinamori gasped as she gazed down at the child who was latched on to her legs. "Rukia. . ."

"Ichigo and I came across this child in the world of the living," Rukia explained, anticipating Hinamori's question. "They called him Shiro although the lady at the orphanage told me that wasn't really his name. He was found abandoned and doesn't speak so they don't know what his real name is. And you should feel special Momo. You're the first person he's been that open to."

Hinamori stared down at Shiro, tears glistening in her eyes. "He looks just like him."

"I know," Rukia said.

At that moment Rukia's communicator once again began to issue a series of obnoxious beeps. Not even bothering to look at it this time Rukia turned her attention back to Momo. "Our Squad's encountered a problem and I was wondering if you'd mind watching Shiro while Ichigo and I return to the world of the living to take care of it."

Hinamori nodded, placing a hand on top of the child's white hair.

"Thank you," Rukia said walking over to them and kneeling so that she could be at eye level with the child. "You stay here with your Auntie Momo and I'll be back soon okay Shiro?"

Shiro nodded.

Rukia got to her feet and left the classroom, leaving Hinamori alone with the child who looked so eerily similar to her best friend. Offering the little boy her hand Hinamori said, "Come on Shiro-chan. There's someone we should go and visit."

Releasing his death grip on her legs, Shiro grasped Hinamori's offered hand.

Smiling Hinamori led him from the classroom and together they made their way across the Seireitei. When they arrived at their destination Hinamori knocked lightly on the door.

"Enter," a feminine voice called out from within.

Sliding the door open a fraction Hinamori stuck her head inside. Gazing around the office she saw that Matsumoto was seated behind the desk, a pen in her hand and a stack of paperwork in front of her. This scene caused a small smile to appear on Hinamori's face. The change in Matsumoto since the war was truly amazing. Ever since she'd been given command of Squad Ten Matsumoto's devotion to her responsibilities had increased ten fold. Hinamori suspected that she was acting that way to honor Captain Hitsugaya and make him proud.

"Hello Momo," Matsumoto called out, putting down her pen. "Don't just stand there. Come in."

"I have a friend with me," Hinamori said. "Can he come in too?"

"Of course," Matsumoto said.

Hinamori slid the door open and stepped inside the office, Shiro trailing behind her and gazing around the room with interest. Matsumoto gasped as her gaze fell upon the child who was holding Hinamori's hand and she walked over to them.

"Where did he come from?" she asked.

"Rukia and Ichigo found him in the world of the living," Hinamori said. "His name's Shiro. Or at least that's what they were calling him."

"Unbelievable."

Releasing his hold on Hinamori's hand Shiro began to walk around the room, gazing around in interest. Sitting down on the couch Matsumoto and Hinamori were soon immersed in deep conversation and no longer paying attention to the child. That is until they glanced up and saw him standing up in the desk chair and reaching for a sword that hung on the wall.

Both women jumped to their feet.

"No Shiro!"

Hinamori rushed over and grabbed the child, but not before he'd placed his hand on the hilt of the sword. Lifting him from the chair Hinamori carried Shiro over to the couch and placed him down. "You could have gotten hurt Shiro-chan. You can't play with swords, you're not old enough."

"Hyourinmaru."

The child's voice was so soft that it was nearly impossible to hear and Matsumoto's eyes grew wide.

"What did you say?" she asked the little boy.

Gazing up into Matsumoto's blue eyes, Shiro repeated, "Hyourinmaru. It said it's name was Hyourinmaru."

"There's no way," Matsumoto whispered, her wide-eyed gaze focused on the child. "It's not possible."

Hearing Matsumoto's words and mistaking her surprised tone for something else, Shiro glanced up at the Squad Ten Captain, his blue-green eyes wide, and then he backed away from her. _"Oh no! I did it again, said the wrong thing."_

The child turned away and attempted to flee from the room however Hinamori grabbed him before he reached the door and lifted him into her arms. The child struggled to get free from her grasp however Hinamori held him tightly. "It's okay, Shiro-chan."

"I'm sorry," Matsumoto said softly. "I didn't mean to scare him Momo."

"I know Rangiku," Hinamori said as she placed her hand on top of Shiro's white hair. "It's okay but I think we should go now."

Matsumoto nodded and watched as Hinamori left the Squad Ten office, carrying the small child in her arms. Once they were gone the Squad Ten Captain returned to her desk however she no longer had the concentration required to do her paperwork.

"I really don't get how that child could hear the voice of Hyourinmaru. I didn't even know that was possible."

After leaving the Squad Ten barracks Hinamori made her way home, where she found her husband, Captain of Squad Thirteen Shuhei Hisagi, awaiting her return.

"You're late Momo," Hisagi said as she entered the house. "I was starting to get worried."

"I'm sorry Shuhei," Hinamori apologized. "It's just that I got a little side tracked."

It was at this point that Hisagi noticed the child that she was holding in her arms. "What the. . ."

"Rukia decided she wanted a child," Hinamori told him with a smile. "So she and Ichigo adopted one. Then she needed a baby-sitter so I volunteered."

"I see," Hisagi said, thinking to himself that everyone in the Seireitei was right, the Squad Five Captain really was insane. Seriously bad-ass but insane none the less. "Well since you're home now and I know you're safe I have some work I need to do so I'm going to go back to the office for a few hours."

"Okay," Hinamori said. "I'll see you when you get home."

Hisagi left the house and Hinamori carried Shiro into the living room. Sitting down on the sofa she placed the child down beside her. "Are you okay Shiro-chan?"

Shiro nodded but didn't say a word.

_"He's back to not speaking," _Hinamori thought to herself. _"But at least we know he's capable of speech."_

At that moment Shiro yawned and Hinamori noticed that he could barely keep his eyes open. "Why don't you lay down Shiro-chan?"

Shiro obeyed without a word and was soon sound asleep. A small smile on her face, Hinamori went to her room and came back with a blanket, which she placed over the child's small form. Then she sat down beside him, her thoughts wandering away.

Flashback

"What are you doing!"

"He's gone! **DEAD! **And it's all because of me. . . **IT'S MY FAULT**!"

These were the words that Hinamori screamed out when Rukia came into the Squad Five office and found her holding the blade of her zanpaktou, with the tip pressing against her chest. Without another word, Rukia quickly walked across the room and slapped Hinamori across the face, hard. The shock of the blow made Hinamori drop her sword and she stared up into Rukia's angry face.

"I can't believe you have the nerve to even think about committing suicide. Your best friend sacrificed his life to save yours and here you are, mocking his actions and his memory, by trying to kill yourself."

Tears flowed down Hinamori's face and, without warning, she threw herself into Rukia's arms.

Rukia wrapped her arms around Hinamori and held her as she cried. Placing her hand on the back of Hinamori's head, Rukia rubbed her hair and whispered, "Everything's gonna be okay. It'll take some time but I promise you, you'll find a reason to smile again.

End Flashback

Hinamori was brought back to reality by the feeling of a small hand on her cheek. She opened her eyes and saw that Shiro was standing up on the sofa, his hand wiping the tears from her face. "Oh Shiro-chan!"

Hinamori threw her arms around the child and felt him tense up for the tiniest moment before he relaxed in her arms. Not even aware of the problem the child had sought to comfort her and Hinamori clung to him as the tears slid down his face.

His work finished for the evening, finally, Hisagi made his way back home and on his way there he ran into Rukia.

"Good evening Captain Hisagi," she called out to him as she fell into step beside him.

"I've told you about a million times that you don't have to call me that," Hisagi told her.

"I know," Rukia said. "But it's okay."

Hisagi shook his head slightly and continued on his way with Rukia following him. He would prefer for her to call him Shuhei, or at the very least just plain Hisagi, since he owed the life of the woman he loved to her but she refused. Hinamori had suffered from extreme depression after the death of Captain Hitsugaya and had been on the verge of suicide until Rukia had stepped in. To this day Hisagi had no idea how Rukia had managed to get through to Hinamori when no one else could however he was grateful none the less.

"So tell me Rukia," Hisagi said, deciding on a change of topic. "What possessed you and Ichigo to adopt a child?"

"You didn't see him did you?" Rukia asked, knowing that he wouldn't be asking that question if he had.

"Briefly," Hisagi replied. "But not up close. Why?"

"You'll see," Rukia said. "I'll introduce you when we get to your place."

However the introduction would not be necessary. When they arrived, they found Hinamori asleep on the sofa with Shiro in her arms. Hisagi's eyes widened as his gaze fell on the child. "I don't believe it. . . he looks just like him."

Rukia nodded. "And that would be what possessed us to bring him home with us."

Leaning forward Rukia touched Hinamori lightly on the shoulder. Hinamori's eyes opened slowly and she gazed up at Rukia. "You're back."

Rukia nodded and carefully lifted the sleeping Shiro into her arms. "Thanks for watching him Momo."

"You're welcome," Hinamori said. "If you ever need a baby-sitter you know where to find me."

Rukia nodded. "I'll keep that in mind. And I apologize for being gone so long. Our Squad was under attack by a couple of Menos Grande, which Ichigo took care of in no time, however on our way back we realized that we didn't have anything for Shiro except for the clothes he's wearing. So the two of us went to Ichigo's dad's place and his sister Yuzu went shopping with us. It took longer than I thought it would. I'm really sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Hinamori said softly. "And Rukia, the child can speak."

"He spoke to you?" Rukia asked in surprise.

Hinamori nodded. "It was the most amazing thing. I took Shiro-chan to Squad Ten, to see Rangiku, and he was fascinated by Toushirou's zanpaktou. Rangiku has it hanging behind her desk, as a sort of shrine to Toushirou, and Shiro-chan climbed up on the desk chair and touched the hilt. I grabbed him before he could do anything else, because I was afraid he would get hurt, and scolded him for touching the sword. That's when he said Hyourinmaru."

Rukia's eyes widened in shock.

"His voice was so soft we thought we might have heard wrong so Rangiku asked him what he said and Shiro-chan replied, It said it's name was Hyourinmaru."

"The zanpaktou spoke to him?" Rukia asked, her voice filled with disbelief.

Hinamori nodded. "There's no other way to explain it. He couldn't possibly have learned Hyourinmaru's name any other way. However, unfortunately, something about our reaction scared him and he hasn't spoken since. I'm sorry Rukia."

Rukia shook her head. "Don't be sorry Momo, it's not your fault. All of this is strange to him, plus he's surrounded by people he doesn't know. He just needs some time and for the people around him to be patient and caring."

Hinamori once again marveled at Rukia's wisdom. For some reason she always knew how to make things better.

"Take care Momo," Rukia said as she turned to leave. "We'll most likely be seeing you soon."

"Bye Rukia," Hinamori said as she got to her feet. She placed a hand on Shiro's soft hair. "Bye Shiro-chan."

A soft smile on her face, Rukia left Hinamori's house and made her way back across the Seireitei to the Squad One barracks where she'd left Ichigo in deep conversation with the Head Captain. When she arrived back at the office Rukia slid the door open and stepped inside and the first thing she noticed was the brooding look on Ichigo's face.

"What's the matter with you?" she asked her fiancé as she walked across the room.

Ichigo pointed an accusing finger at Ukitake. "The old man felt the need to tell me that Shiro deserves a normal upbringing and that I have to try really hard to provide that for him. He's making it sound like I'm not normal."

"Ichigo," Rukia said, shaking her head. "You're not normal."

"What the hell is with you people?" Ichigo demanded, his voice steadily rising. "I'm normal and if I'm not then it's your fault."

"That's true enough," Rukia said as she felt the child in her arms jump. "And you're going to have to learn to keep your angry tirades to a minimum Ichigo or else you're going to traumatize the poor child."

Ichigo gazed over at Shiro and saw that he was now wide awake and gazing around the room, his eyes wide and frightened.

"I'm sorry Shiro," Ichigo said. "It's okay kiddo, you're safe. And I'll try to keep my big mouth shut from now on."

Shiro relaxed a degree and Rukia placed him down on the floor. Kneeling in front of the child Rukia placed her hands on his shoulders. "Shiro, tell me about Hyourinmaru."

Both Ukitake's and Ichigo's eyes widened in disbelief however Shiro's gaze went to the floor and he refused to speak.

"It's okay Shiro," Rukia said kindly, running a hand through his unruly white hair. "You don't have to say anything you don't want to." Getting to her feet Rukia turned to her fiancé. "Ichigo would you take him home? I have a few things I need to discuss with the Head Captain but it's getting late and he's already sleepy."

Ichigo nodded and got to his feet. He walked across the office and held his hands out to the child and, after a moment's hesitation, Shiro held out his arms and allowed Ichigo to pick him up. "We'll see you at home Rukia."

Rukia nodded and watched as the two of them departed. Then, once they were gone she turned her attention to Head Captain Ukitake.

Ukitake gazed at the Squad Five vice-captain expectantly.

"You asked me earlier if his similarity to Captain Hitsugaya was merely his looks," Rukia said. "And now I can answer that question. He heard the voice of Hyourinmaru."

"Is that even possible?" Ukitake asked, shocked.

"I wouldn't have thought so," Rukia replied. "However Shiro was able to tell Momo its name after touching it so that's the only plausible explanation."

"Remarkable," Ukitake said. "We'll have to keep a close watch on this child."

Rukia nodded.

"So are you and Ichigo really going to raise Shiro as your own?"

"Yes," Rukia replied without a moment's hesitation. "Knowing what I know there's no way I could give him to a stranger. And although I think Momo would take him in a heartbeat Shiro can't live in Soul Society. We have no idea how that might affect him so that only leaves me and Ichigo."

Ukitake nodded. "I wish you the best. Keep me informed."

"Yes sir."

With that Rukia turned and left the office. She made her way to the edge of the Seireitei, where she summoned the Senkaimon. When Rukia arrived at the home that she and Ichigo shared she found her fiancé sound asleep on the sofa with their new son in his lap. Shiro had his head leaning against Ichigo's chest and Ichigo had one hand resting gently on the child's hair.

"Ahhh," Rukia whispered as she stared at them. "That's adorable."

Leaving the two of them sleeping Rukia made her way upstairs to the room that they'd decided would be Shiro's. Up until now they'd used it as a guest room, so it had a bed and all of the other furniture, all that was left was for Rukia to put away the things that she and Ichigo had bought for the boy. Picking up the shopping bags Rukia pulled out the clothes that they had bought and placed them in the dresser, all except for a small pair of pajamas.

A smile appeared on Rukia's face as she unfolded the pajamas that Yuzu had picked out for Shiro. They were light blue with snowflakes all over them, the irony of which was not lost upon the Squad Five vice-captain. Rukia placed the pajamas down on the bed and then went back downstairs to wake Ichigo. Touching him lightly on the shoulder, Rukia nudged him until his eyes opened.

Careful not to disturb the child who was sleeping in his lap, Ichigo slowly pulled himself to a sitting position. "What time is it?"

"Ten o'clock," Rukia replied. "Past Shiro's bedtime although I have no idea why you're so tired."

Ichigo shrugged. "No clue. Maybe it's stress related."

"Maybe," Rukia said, gazing down at Shiro. "We gained a ton of responsibility in the span of a few hours. Most new parents have months to plan but, like everything else, we just couldn't do it the normal way."

Ichigo shrugged but made no reply.

"Did you fix him something to eat when you got back?"

"Yes," Ichigo snapped, although he managed to keep his voice low. "I'm not completely stupid you know."

"Okay, calm down," Rukia said. "I was just making sure. Guess I'll put him to bed then."

Ichigo nodded and handed Shiro to her. The child shifted as he was passed from one to the other however he didn't wake up. Ichigo's eyes followed Rukia as she carried the little boy upstairs and his hand went to his forehead. "I can't believe we did this. They're right, I'm not normal."

Rukia carried Shiro into his new room where she pulled off the shabby clothing that he was wearing, promptly threw them in the trash, and then dressed him in the blue pajamas. Pulling back the blankets Rukia placed Shiro in bed and then tucked the covers in around him. 

"Sweet dreams Shiro-chan," Rukia said softly as she turned out the light and left the room.

Rukia made her way back downstairs where she found Ichigo still sitting on the sofa.

"So Rukia," Ichigo said as his fiancée sat down on the sofa beside him. "Who are we going to get to baby-sit when we have to battle Hollow? We really didn't plan this out very well."

Rukia had already been thinking about the problem and she replied, "Orihime will probably be willing to watch him, since he and Kasumi are around the same age, and for those spur of the moment battles there's always Ryuu."

A smile spread across Ichigo's face as he imagined his third seat acting as baby-sitter. "Yea, that'll work."

"I thought you'd like that idea," Rukia said with a smile. "You know I think we should pay a visit to Uryu and Orihime tomorrow. We haven't seen them for awhile and Shiro might benefit from being around Kasumi."

"Alright," Ichigo said with a nod.

So the next morning the new parents awoke early and, after breakfast, they set out for the home of their friends.

"I hope they're home," Ichigo said as he knocked on the door.

A few minutes later the door opened and a dark haired man appeared in the doorway. "Kurosaki."

"Hey Uryu," Ichigo said. "We were in the neighborhood and we thought we'd drop by."

"I see," Uryu said. "Well come in. Orihime and Kasumi are in the living room."

Uryu stepped aside and Ichigo and Rukia, with Shiro in her arms, stepped inside the house. The man's eyes widened as he noticed the child that Rukia held in her arms however he held his tongue until they were all assembled in the living room.

"So who's your little friend Ichigo?" Uryu asked once they had all joined Orihime and Kasumi in the living room.

"Our son," Ichigo told his friend.

"Son?" Orihime exclaimed, gazing at the child Rukia held in her arms.

"Okay, I know it's been awhile since we last saw you," Uryu said. "But it hasn't been that long."

Ichigo chuckled. "Our adopted son. This is Shiro."

Rukia sat down on the sofa next to Orihime and placed Shiro on her lap. The little boy gazed around at the strangers with a slightly apprehensive look in his eyes.

"Hello Shiro," Orihime said, offering the child a friendly smile.

Shiro shrank back away from the strange woman.

"It's okay Shiro," Rukia told him in a comforting voice. "This is Orihime. She's our friend and she's really nice."

Shiro gazed up at Orihime and offered her a small smile.

Taking his actions as a sign of progress Rukia placed Shiro down on the floor and as soon as she did so Orihime's three year old daughter Kasumi walked over and took Shiro by the hand.

"Come play," Kasumi said as she pulled Shiro toward her toy box.

Shiro looked confused however he allowed himself to be led across the room by the girl.

"That's adorable," Orihime said, before turning back to Rukia. "So tell me about Shiro."

So Rukia and Ichigo once again went through the story of how they'd came across Shiro and their theories on his background. Orihime and Uryu listened intently while the two children played on the floor.

"So now you're parents," Uryu said, raking the couple with a scrutinizing look. "I can picture Rukia as a mother however thinking about Ichigo as a father is just scary. This kid's gonna end up seriously messed up."

"Hey now," Ichigo exclaimed. "If you can do it then so can I."

"Well if you need any help you know where to come," Orihime said.

"Thank you," Rukia said.

A/N- this is the first chapter of a rather long fic that I'm currently working on and I'm posting it now to judge what kind of reaction it gets. If the reaction is good, more chapter are to come. If not, well my friend enjoys it and that's all that matters. Hope you enjoy the story. Please read and review.


	2. The Trials of Parenthood

Disclaimer- I do not own bleach.

A/N- Shiro-chan would like to thank everyone who read and enjoyed the first chapter of his story. The reviews I received for the first chapter were better than I could have hoped for. Special thanks to lieutenant-taijiya, Xx Trinity xX, ADDVengance and mimic shalle, without whom this story might not have continued.

Chapter Two-

The Trials of Parenthood

(No One Told Us It Would Be This Way)

It had been a couple of months since Ichigo and Rukia had adopted the white-haired boy named Shiro and the new parents were doing their best to adjust to the situation, however it was becoming apparent that children adjusted faster than adults. Shiro had adjusted fairly well to the adoption and although he still didn't speak, he no longer tensed up when they embraced him. He also seemed much happier than he'd been when they'd found him at the orphanage.

However as Shiro grew more comfortable with his new living arrangement, the challenge of raising him grew as well. It wasn't that Shiro was a bad kid, he was just curious and seemed to have a knack for finding trouble.

* * *

It was six in the morning and Rukia was awakened by the sound of her communicator, which was once again issuing a familiar series of obnoxious beeping noises. Her eyes widened as she briefly gazed at the communicator's screen. Nudging Ichigo, who could sleep through a hurricane, she jumped to her feet.

"What?" Ichigo asked groggily.

"It's a Hollow," Rukia replied as she used her Gikongan to change into a Shinigami. "And it's in our front yard so get your ass up."

"Dammit," Ichigo cursed, using his badge to leap from his body.

Dashing down the stairs Ichigo and Rukia burst through the front door and came face to face with a huge Hollow. Grasping the handle of his zanpaktou, Zangetsu, Ichigo leapt into the air and slashed the Hollow's mask. The Hollow issued one final scream before it disintegrated.

Landing lightly on the ground Ichigo turned to give his fiancée a triumphant look however his smile faded and his eyes widened in horror.

Confused by the look on his face Rukia asked, "What is it Ichigo?"

Ichigo pointed toward the front door, which they'd left open in their haste to get outside and deal with the Hollow, and when Rukia's gaze followed his gesture her eyes fell upon a small figure standing just inside the doorway. She gasped as she saw Shiro, dressed in his snowflake pajamas, staring at them from the door.

"Oh no," Rukia gasped, staring at her child and mirroring Ichigo's horrified expression. "He saw the whole thing."

Judging by the look on Shiro's face there could be no doubt that he'd seen the Hollow, as well as Ichigo killing it. Rukia's mind raced, wondering how this would affect the child. No doubt the child would view the Hollow as a monster so how would he react to Ichigo killing it?

"Shiro," Ichigo called out to the boy as he walked toward him.

Ichigo's voice seemed to snap Shiro out of his trance and, to the couple's surprise, he walked over to Ichigo without hesitation. Ichigo offered the child his hand and Shiro grasped it and allowed the man to lead him back inside the house. Rukia followed them and watched as Ichigo led the way back upstairs to Shiro's bedroom and placed the child back in his bed.

"Stay there for just a minute and I'll be right back okay Shiro?"

Shiro nodded and Ichigo and Rukia left the child's room. Returning to their own room, Ichigo returned to his body while Rukia returned to her gigai. Sitting down on the edge of the bed Ichigo let out a breath. "We need to get a gate or something so this doesn't happen again."

Rukia nodded. "I can't believe he wasn't scared."

"That means he's seen Hollow before," Ichigo said, his voice filled with certainty. "But more importantly it means that he trusted us to protect him."

Rukia smiled. "Come on Ichigo. Let's go and check on him."

Ichigo nodded and followed Rukia down the hall to Shiro's room. Opening the door they saw that Shiro was sitting up in bed and when they entered his room the child smiled up at them. Rukia sat down on the edge of the child's bed and gazed over at him. "Are you okay Shiro?"

Shiro nodded and whispered, "Dad killed the monster."

Rukia's eyes widened as she heard the soft voice of the child. Then she leaned over and pulled Shiro into a hug. This was the first time she'd ever heard the child speak and the sound of his voice thrilled her, it was such a sweet sound.

Ichigo sat down beside them. "You've seen monsters like that before haven't you Shiro?"

"Yes," Shiro whispered, his voice growing softer.

"And did you tell anyone what you saw?" Rukia asked.

Shiro nodded, his gaze downcast. "They think I lied."

Rukia heard the pain in Shiro's voice and she knew at that moment what had caused the child to stop talking. Whoever he'd lived with before coming to the orphanage, whether it had been his parents or someone else, had called the boy a liar and possibly punished him for what he'd said. It was most likely that which had caused him to stop talking. How traumatic it must have been to be ridiculed and punished for telling the truth.

"Shiro," Rukia said, placing her hand on the child's shoulder. "You can tell us anything. I just want you to know that. No matter what it is that you have to say, Ichigo and I will listen to you. Do you understand?"

Shiro gazed up at his mom, tears glistening in his blue-green eyes, and nodded.

* * *

A few hours later the small family traveled through the Senkaimon to Soul Society, where they made their way to the Squad One barracks. This was the first time they'd made this trip since the day they'd adopted Shiro however the incident with the Hollow had convinced Rukia and Ichigo that another trip was necessary.

When they arrived at the Head Captain's office Ichigo knocked on the door. "Captain of Squad Five Ichigo Kurosaki, and family, here to see Head Captain Ukitake."

"Enter."

Ichigo slid the door open and entered the office, followed closely behind by Rukia and Shiro.

Ukitake glanced up and watched as the small family walked across the office and he couldn't help but marvel at the change in the white-haired child. His clothes were neat and clean and his face held a smile which, unlike the last time, reached all the way up to his eyes.

"Shiro," Rukia said, gazing down at the child whose hand she held. "Do you remember who this is?"

"Grandpa Ukitake," Shiro said softly, smiling up at the old captain.

"He speaks," Ukitake said, slightly shocked. "What caused this abrupt change of attitude?"

"A Hollow," Ichigo said simply.

"What?" Ukitake exclaimed.

"Sit down Captain," Rukia said, motioning toward the sofa. "And we'll explain."

Head Captain Ukitake sat down on the sofa, joined by Rukia and Ichigo, and he gazed at his two subordinates expectantly.

Bored by the talk of the adults, Shiro wandered around the office and then, when that ceased to amuse him, he quietly slipped out of the room. After leaving the Squad One barracks Shiro wandered around the Seireitei, his eyes wide as he surveyed his surroundings with interest. This was much more fun than listening to his parents and grandpa talk.

"What the hell are you doing here?" an angry voice suddenly called out.

Gazing up Shiro saw a man dressed in the same black outfit that his parents were now wearing, staring down at him angrily. The man made a move to grab the child however Shiro ran for it and proved impossibly fast for a child so young.

"What the hell?" the Shinigami growled after losing sight of the child. "Who the hell is that kid? For that matter, what the hell is that kid?"

Having escaped the angry man Shiro made his way to the Shinigami Academy. He remembered being taken there by Rukia on his first trip to Soul Society and he wanted to see Hinamori again.

* * *

After explaining the morning's Hollow encounter to Head Captain Ukitake, Rukia glanced around to check on Shiro only to find him gone. Her eyes widened in horror and she asked in a frantic voice, "Where's Shiro?!"

Ichigo and Ukitake both glanced up and saw that the child was nowhere to be seen.

"Don't panic," Ukitake said. "We'll find him. I mean honestly how far could he have gone? He's three."

Ichigo and Rukia nodded and the three Shinigami got to their feet.

* * *

When Shiro arrived at the classroom that Rukia had taken him to before, he found the door closed. Reaching up, he found that he couldn't reach the door handle so the child moved on to Plan B. Jumping into the air Shiro attempted to reach the door handle that way but unfortunately he wasn't tall enough nor could he jump high enough to reach it.

Blowing out a frustrated breath, Shiro shoved the door angrily and then jumped back as a tremendous burst of energy forced it open. His eyes wide Shiro whispered, "What happened?"

Jarred from her lecture by the sound of the door opening Hinamori glanced over and saw Shiro standing in the doorway. "Shiro-chan!"

Shiro smiled as Hinamori rushed over to him. "What are you doing here? And for that matter, how did you even get here?"

"Mom and Dad are boring," Shiro said softly, further shocking Hinamori. "So I came here."

Placing her hands on Shiro's shoulders Hinamori asked in a serious tone, "Do your Mom and Dad know you're here Shiro?"

Shiro shrugged.

"Oh no," Hinamori thought to herself as she stared down at the child. "I'll bet they're worried sick." Turning her attention back to her students, Hinamori called out, "Class I have a slight situation that I have to deal with so I'm giving you guys a free period. Please don't cause any trouble. Class dismissed."

Turning back to Shiro, Hinamori took hold of his hand. "Where are Mom and Dad?"

"Talking to Grandpa Ukitake," Shiro replied.

"Grandpa Ukitake? Then they're at Squad One. Come on Shiro-chan."

Shiro followed Hinamori down the hallway, although it was with some reluctance. She was taking him back to the boring people and he wasn't happy about it. However when they arrived at the Squad One office, it was to find the room empty.

"They must have noticed you were gone," Hinamori said. "Come on Shiro-chan. We have to find them."

Hinamori turned and left the office, pulling Shiro along behind her. "This isn't good."

* * *

After searching the courtyard around Squad One, with no luck, Ukitake, Rukia and Ichigo decided that they should split up and search the Seireitei.

"I still don't think he could have gotten very far," Ukitake said. "But it'll be quicker if we split up."

Rukia and Ichigo nodded and the trio of Shinigami set off in different directions.

"I can't believe this," Ichigo muttered to himself as his gaze swept around the Seireitei, searching for signs of his missing child. "We've been parents for all of two months and now we've lost him. And I'm sure this will somehow turn out to be my fault."

Thinking hard Ichigo attempted to bring to mind places that Shiro possibly could have gone. He wasn't really familiar with the Seireitei, not to mention the fact that he was really young, and that left one obvious destination.

"The Academy!"

Ichigo knew that Rukia had taken Shiro to the Shinigami Academy on his first trip to Soul Society, and he also knew that the child had immediately taken to Hinamori who was a teacher there, so that's where he decided to search. Making his way across the Seireitei, Ichigo entered the Academy and then attempted to locate Hinamori's classroom. Unfortunately it was at this point that Ichigo realized that he didn't know which classroom belonged to Hinamori. Hell, he didn't even know what she taught.

"Dammit!" Ichigo swore, gazing up and down the hallway. "I guess we're doing this the hard way."

And with that Ichigo walked over to the first door and thrust it open. Sticking his head into the classroom he was disappointed to find a stranger standing at the front of the class. A female Shinigami was teaching the class, but it wasn't Hinamori. The woman turned toward the door.

"Sorry," Ichigo said, sliding the door closed. "Wrong room."

Ichigo made his way down the hallway, opening the doors one at a time, and when he came to the last classroom in the hallway he opened the door to reveal an angry looking man teaching. The man turned around and glared as the door slid open and Ichigo stuck his head inside the classroom.

"Excuse me," the teacher said, glaring at Ichigo with narrowed eyes. His tone left no doubt that he was irritated about the interruption. "Do you need something? You're interrupting my class and I don't appreciate it."

Not thrilled about the teacher's obnoxious tone Ichigo stepped into the classroom and displayed his captain's coat, thoroughly enjoying seeing the smug look wiped off the man's face.

"Captain Kurosaki! I'm sorry, I didn't realize. . . Is there something I can help you with sir?"

"I'm looking for Momo Hinamori," Ichigo said with a smirk, thinking that he really should have thought of this sooner.

The teacher gave Ichigo directions to Hinamori's classroom and with a nod of thanks Ichigo left. Unfortunately when he arrived at the correct classroom he discovered that it was abandoned. "Well that was productive," Ichigo growled, slamming the classroom door closed.

* * *

After leaving the Squad One office Hinamori made her way to her house, thinking that maybe Ichigo and Rukia would have gone there to look for Shiro. However the house and surrounding yard were empty and so the search continued.

"Come on Shiro-chan," Hinamori said. "Squad Ten is the last place I can think of where they might come looking for you."

* * *

"Where could he have gone?" Rukia asked, as she searched the Seireitei for her son. As she searched Rukia ran into a member of Squad Three whom she was somewhat acquainted with.

"Vice-captain Kuchiki," the man said, bowing to Rukia.

"Taisuke," Rukia said, pausing to catch her breath and gazing at the Squad Three member pointedly. "Have you seen a small boy around here anywhere?"

Taisuke's eyes widened. "White hair, around two feet tall?"

Rukia nodded.

"Yes I saw him," Taisuke said, wishing at this point that he'd been able to catch the kid. "And I tried to catch him but he was too fast."

"Thanks," Rukia said shortly and walked away, thinking to herself, _"Pathetic. The man got out ran by a toddler. And he calls himself a Shinigami."_

_"I think I might have been wrong earlier," _Ukitake thought to himself as he walked across the Seireitei. _"The boy seems to have covered more ground than I anticipated. Either that or he's playing hide and seek."_

That thought gave the Head Captain pause. If the child was playing hide and seek with them then that would be decidedly bad.

* * *

When Hinamori and Shiro arrived at the Squad Ten barracks they found Matsumoto sitting at her desk and staring off into space. As Hinamori stepped inside the office she felt Shiro pull his hand from her grasp and she turned around just in time to see him turn to run.

"Shiro!"

The child turned when Hinamori called out to him and Matsumoto glanced up and saw the scared look in the boy's eyes. A thought occurred to the Squad Ten Captain and, getting to her feet, Matsumoto grabbed the sword that was hanging on the wall behind her desk and took a few steps toward the child.

"Look Shiro," she called out to him, holding the sword out in front of her. "You wanted to see this before didn't you? Come here and I'll let you see it."

Torn between his fear of the Squad Ten Captain and his desire to see the sword Shiro hesitated for a moment before walking over to the spot where Matsumoto stood. He gazed up at her with a mixture of fear and curiosity in his eyes.

"Rangiku are you sure about this?" Hinamori asked the Squad Ten Captain nervously.

"It'll be okay," Matsumoto assured her before gazing down at the child. "Sit down on the floor."

Shiro sat down cross-legged on the floor and Matsumoto placed the sheathed sword in his lap. "**DO NOT **take it out of the sheath."

Shiro nodded as he touched the hilt of the sword.

* * *

Having had no luck with their search Rukia, Ichigo and Ukitake happened to meet up outside the unused Squad Five barracks.

"This isn't going so well," Rukia said, as the trio reunited.

"I know," Ichigo replied. "So where haven't we searched?"

The trio of Shinigami ran through the list of the places they'd each searched and then discussed other places where the child could have went.

"Squad Ten!" Ichigo said suddenly.

"You really think he might have gone there?" Rukia asked. "But Momo told me that Shiro was scared of Rangiku."

"He may not be there," Ichigo said with a shrug. "But it's worth taking a look."

Ukitake nodded and the trio set out.

Hinamori and Matsumoto knelt beside the young boy as he carefully ran his hand over the hilt of Hyourinmaru. Shiro's eyes widened as he once again heard a voice that didn't belong to any of the room's inhabitants. However before he could ask anyone what was going on, the door burst open and Ichigo, Rukia, and Ukitake entered the room.

"Shiro," Rukia said with a sigh of relief, as her gaze fell upon her son. "Oh thank goodness."

Ichigo's gaze swept over this unusual scene and then came to rest on Hinamori and Matsumoto. "What the hell is wrong with you people? Do you normally give four foot long swords to three year olds?"

As he spoke Ichigo walked across the room and attempted to pick up the sword however Shiro tightened his grip, refusing to release his hold, and Ichigo was forced to jump to one side as the tip of the sheath exploded in a spray of ice. It wasn't a conscious attack, just the sword reacting to Shiro's tightened grip, however it was enough to impress the adults.

"No way," Rukia whispered, staring down at her son.

"So," Ichigo said as he stepped back over to Rukia and Ukitake, slightly nervous after the near miss. "How exactly are we supposed to get the sword away from him without anyone getting hurt?"

Slipping his hand into the sleeve of his captain's coat, Ukitake pulled out a lollipop and stepped over to the spot where Shiro sat. Kneeling in front of the child he held up the treat. "Look here Shiro-chan, I'll trade you."

Releasing his grip on the hilt of the sword, Shiro reached out for the lollipop and Ukitake handed the child the candy with one hand and picked up the sword with the other. Then he turned and grinned at Ichigo. "Now was that so hard?"

"I can't believe that actually worked," Ichigo said.

"Sorry Rangiku," Head Captain Ukitake said, turning to Matsumoto. "But in light of recent developments I think I should hang on to Hyourinmaru for the time being."

"Yes sir," Matsumoto said.

"Toushirou," Rukia said, kneeling in front of Shiro and speaking in a tone of voice that immediately gained the child's attention. "You can't wander off like that. We were worried sick."

The little boy had only lived with Rukia and Ichigo for a couple of months however he was well aware of the fact that that name, coupled with that tone, meant he was in trouble. Removing the lollipop from his mouth, Shiro gazed up at Rukia and whispered, "I'm sorry I was bad. Please don't go away and leave me."

There was a note of fear in the boy's soft-edged voice, as well as tears in his blue-green eyes, and Rukia quickly hugged him. "We're not going to leave you Shiro. But the next time you want to go somewhere ask first okay?"

"Okay," Shiro said softly.

"Well now that that's settled," Ichigo said turning to face Matsumoto and Hinamori. "Why the hell did you give the boy a sword?"

"I wanted to see what would happen," Matsumoto admitted, then added in her defense, "And it was still sheathed!"

Ichigo's gaze went to the patch of ice that was on the floor. "And we all saw how well that little precaution worked out."

"Calm down Ichigo," Rukia said. "No harm was done."

"Fine," Ichigo muttered.

"So how exactly did Shiro end up here?" Head Captain Ukitake asked.

"I brought him here," Hinamori spoke up. "I was in class when Shiro-chan showed up and so I dismissed my students and came looking for Ichigo and Rukia. Unfortunately I couldn't find you guys and eventually Shiro-chan and I ended up here."

"We probably went to all of the same places," Rukia said, a thoughtful expression on her face. "Just not at the same time."

"I'm sorry Rukia," Hinamori said.

"Don't be sorry Momo," Rukia said. "I'm just glad you found him and that he's safe."

"Rukia, Ichigo can I speak to the two of you in private?" Head Captain Ukitake asked.

Ichigo nodded and Rukia turned back to Hinamori. "Can you watch him for a little while longer Momo?"

Hinamori nodded. "Sure."

"Thanks," Rukia said and she turned to follow the Head Captain. Ichigo on the other hand gave Hinamori and Matsumoto a warning look. "Make sure you keep him out of trouble."

Hinamori and Matsumoto both nodded and Ichigo left to catch up with Rukia and Ukitake.

Head Captain Ukitake led the way back to his office, where he placed Hyourinmaru on his desk. Then he turned to face Rukia and Ichigo. "Can I share a theory with you?"

Rukia and Ichigo both nodded and stared expectantly at the Head Captain.

"I think the Hollow that you fought this morning came to your house looking for Shiro."

Rukia gasped. "Why would you say that?"

"The child's reiatsu surged when he subconsciously activated Hyourinmaru," Ukitake said. "You both felt it right."

Again Rukia and Ichigo both nodded.

"Well a similar situation could have occurred while Shiro was sleeping," Ukitake explained. "Something he saw in a dream could have caused his reiatsu to rise thus attracting the Hollow. And if that's the case it poses a problem. The child isn't in control of his reiatsu so there's no way to know when something like that could happen again. And with that in mind I think it would be unwise to leave Shiro in the care of normal people. If you need a baby-sitter for any reason make sure you pick someone who can hold their own against a Hollow."

Rukia and Ichigo nodded and Rukia said, "We'll keep that in mind. And considering who we're friends with, not to mention who Ichigo's father is, I don't think it'll really be a problem."

"You know," Ichigo said. "No one told us it would be like this when we took him in. This is a lot harder than I thought it was going to be."

"Do you regret our decision Ichigo?" Rukia asked.

"No," Ichigo said, shaking his head. "But I do wish I'd been just a little more prepared for this."

"I can't believe you weren't expecting something like this Ichigo," Ukitake said, gazing over at the Squad Five Captain. "You adopted a child who possesses the reincarnated soul of a captain class Shinigami with a serious attitude problem and now you're all surprised that he's a bit difficult to deal with."

"Don't give me that," Ichigo said. "You were surprised too so don't even act like you weren't."

Ukitake chuckled and Ichigo gazed over at the Head Captain, his eyes narrowed. "You're enjoying this aren't you old man?"

"I'm amused by it I must admit," Ukitake said with a smile. "I think you may have come across a child who will equal, if not surpass, your disregard for the rules."

"Well," Ichigo said with an evil grin. "If that's the case then you'll suffer just as much as I will Grandpa Ukitake."

The smile faded from Ukitake's face.

Rukia couldn't help but laugh at the expression on Head Captain Ukitake's face. It wasn't often that Ichigo won an argument with Ukitake however he definitely had the upper hand in this one and the Head Captain momentarily appeared to be at a loss for words.

"I didn't think about that," Ukitake admitted, after a short pause. "But oh well. At least things around here won't be boring."

Turning serious Ichigo's gaze went to the zanpaktou that was lying on the Head Captain's desk. "So what exactly are you going to do with the sword?"

"I'm going to put it up somewhere safe for now," Ukitake said. "However when Shiro gets older, with your permission, I'd like to train him to use it."

"You think he'll be a Shinigami Head Captain?" Rukia asked. "And that he'll be powerful?"

"If what we saw today was any indication of what his power will be like when he gets older then I think powerful will be an understatement."

"Well that's a frightening thought," Ichigo muttered. "Be careful not to make him mad."

"Ahh," Rukia said, gazing over at him. "Are you scared of your three year old son Ichigo?"

To which Ichigo replied, "Very much so."

"I didn't mean to imply that I think he'll be a threat," Ukitake said quickly, before they got the wrong impression. "But I do think it would be unwise not to teach him how to control his powers. He's already exhibiting signs of kidou manipulation, even at his young age, so there is no doubt in my mind that he'll realize some day soon that he can consciously control it. And when that day comes it will be bad for all concerned if he doesn't know how to use the power as well as when not to use it."

Rukia and Ichigo nodded. That could indeed prove dangerous, both for the world of the living and Soul Society.

"Alright," Ichigo said with a glance toward his fiancée. "When he's old enough then you have our permission to train him."

Ukitake inclined his head to them. "Thank you."

"No problem," Ichigo said, fully aware that the old captain had an ulterior motive for wanting to train the boy. "And now that that's been settled we should probably collect our kid and go home."

Rukia nodded and, after bowing to the Head Captain, they left the Squad One barracks. Together they made their way across the Seireitei to Squad Ten and once there Ichigo slid the door open and called out, "Come on Shiro, we're going home."

"Don't be in such a rush Ichigo," Matsumoto called out from inside the office. "We were having a snack so why don't you guys come in and join us?"

Gazing down Rukia and Ichigo saw that Shiro was still sitting on the floor, now happily eating a slice of watermelon.

"Come on Ichigo," Rukia said as she grabbed his hand. With a shrug Ichigo allowed himself to be dragged into the office.

Matsumoto motioned for them to sit down on the couch with her and Hinamori and, when they complied, she turned to Ichigo. "So how are things in Squad Five? Since Head Captain Ukitake turned it into a living world liaison squad, we never get to see you guys anymore."

"Things are fine," Ichigo replied. "I don't even really need the subordinates that Ukitake assigned. I could handle things just fine by myself."

"Ichigo," Rukia admonished. "I've told you not to be that way."

"What?" Ichigo asked. "They don't want to be there any more than I want them so what's the point?"

Hinamori smiled over at the Squad Five Captain. "You know Ichigo, I'm beginning to suspect that Head Captain Ukitake is using membership in Squad Five as a means of punishment."

"What?!" Ichigo exclaimed as Rukia roared with laughter.

"I think you might be right Momo," Matsumoto joined in, thoroughly enjoying Ichigo's annoyance. "And you have to give him credit, that would be the ultimate way to dissuade people from breaking the rules. If you misbehave you'll have to be in Kurosaki's squad. No, please not that! I'll do anything!"

"Shut up!" Ichigo snapped, glaring at the two women. Then he turned his gaze to his fiancée. "You know Rukia, I don't really think Shiro should be spending time with these people. They might corrupt him."

"Not a chance," Matsumoto said. "If he isn't corrupted by being raised by you, nothing we could do or say would cause it."

"You guys are mean," Ichigo whined. "And you wonder why I never come to Soul Society."

"Really?" Hinamori asked, her voice innocent however her eyes betraying a hint of mischief. "Because I was under the impression you avoided coming to Soul Society because of the Squad Eleven Captain."

"Well there's that too," Ichigo was forced to admit. Ever since the death of Kenpachi Zaraki, during the battle with the Espada, the new Captain of Squad Eleven, Ikkaku Madarame, had became obsessed with beating Ichigo because it was the one fight that Kenpachi had never won.

"I don't know why you feel the need to avoid him," Matsumoto said. "He can't pick a fight with you without getting himself in trouble. It's a Class One offense for captains to fight one another."

Ichigo rolled his eyes in the direction of the Squad Ten Captain. "Now why didn't I think of that since we're all such obedient little subordinates? Break the rules. . . Us? **NEVER**. We always do everything we're told to do, immediately and without question, and we wouldn't dream of doing something we were told not to do."

Rukia shook her head, a grin on her face, as the Squad Ten Captain was forced to admit defeat.

"Okay you've got me there Ichigo. I have no counter for that."

Having finished his watermelon Shiro glanced up at the adults at this point, thinking to himself that there was definitely something seriously wrong with his new family. Unlike normal people they seemed to actually enjoy arguing with one another.

Noticing that Shiro had finished his watermelon Rukia gazed over at Ichigo. "We should probably go home Ichigo. Ryuu can't be trusted to keep things under control for long periods of time, you know."

Thinking of his third seat officer Ichigo growled under his breath. "You know Momo, you were probably right earlier. Ukitake probably is using Squad Five as punishment. Now if only I could figure out who he's punishing, them or me."

"A little of both I'd guess," Rukia said as she held out her hand to Shiro. "Come on kiddo. Let's go home."

Shiro jumped to his feet and grasped Rukia's offered hand.

"Tell Auntie Momo and Auntie Rangiku bye," Rukia reminded him.

Releasing his grip on Rukia's hand, Shiro ran over to the sofa where Matsumoto and Hinamori were still sitting. "Bye Auntie Momo." Then he turned to Matsumoto. "Bye. Thanks for letting me see Hyourinmaru."

"You're welcome," Matsumoto said in a slightly sad voice as she watched the little boy run back over to Rukia. "Bye Shiro-chan."

Rukia grasped the little boy's hand and turned to Ichigo. "Come on Captain."

"Would you stop calling me captain in that sarcastic tone of voice?"

"No," Rukia said with a smirk.

Ichigo pointed his index finger at her as the three of them left the Squad Ten barracks. "I could have you arrested for your insolence you know."

"You could," Rukia said, with an evil grin. "But if you do then you'll have sole responsibility for Shiro."

"That's a scary thought," Ichigo said, gazing down at the child who held Rukia's hand. "Okay you're forgiven. But don't let it happen again."

"Uh huh," Rukia said, rolling her eyes. "I'll try to keep that in mind Captain."

Ichigo growled under his breath but wisely chose not to comment.

A/N- Hope you enjoyed the second installment of Shiro-chan's story. If so just hit the little button down at the bottom of the screen and let me know how I'm doing. Until the next time, Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	3. Haunted

Disclaimer- I do not own bleach

Chapter Three- Haunted

It was nearing midnight when Rukia finally made her way down the hallway toward the bedroom that she shared with Ichigo. The trip to Soul Society and ensuing pandemonium that her son had caused had put her behind on the paperwork that her fiancé was supposed to do and she'd had to work extra hard to catch up, not to mention the fact that she'd had to keep an eye on her son. Needless to say most of the paperwork had been hurriedly done in the two hours that had passed since she'd put Shiro to bed for the night.

_"I hope Ichigo comes home soon," _she thought to herself as she opened Shiro's bedroom door and peered in to check on the child. _"I feel the need to smack him for leaving me alone to watch our son and to do __**HIS**__ paperwork while he went out to battle Hollow."_

Shiro was huddled beneath the blankets so that all she could see was the top of his snow white hair however he seemed to be sleeping peacefully. With a soft smile on her face Rukia closed the door quietly and continued to her own room.

Rukia settled down to sleep however she had barely dozed off when she heard an ear piercing scream coming from the direction of her son's room. Jumping to her feet Rukia grabbed her robe and ran from the room. She dashed down the hall and pulled Shiro's door open, flipping on the light as she entered.

The child was sitting up in bed and his eyes widened as the door opened and Rukia hurried across the room. Rukia sat down on the edge of the child's bed. "What's the matter Shiro-chan?"

Shiro shrank away from his mother, his blue-green eyes wide and frightened.

"It's okay Shiro-chan," Rukia said in a comforting voice as she pulled the child into her arms. "Did you have a nightmare?"

Shiro tensed as Rukia pulled him into her arms and he didn't say a word. Rukia could feel the child in her arms shaking uncontrollably and she placed a hand on the back of his head, gently tousling his hair. "It's okay Shiro-chan, you're safe. It wasn't real and it can't hurt you."

Shiro wrapped his small hands around the fabric of his mother's robe and whimpered.

"Shh," Rukia said in a soothing voice. "It's okay."

* * *

Having once again taken care of the Hollow menace in Karakura Town, much to the dismay of his squad members, Ichigo made his way back home. It was nearly two o'clock in the morning and Ichigo knew without a doubt that Rukia wouldn't let him sleep late so he was on his way home to get as much sleep as was possible at this point.

However when the Squad Five Captain arrived home he saw from the front yard that Shiro's bedroom light was still on. Instantly concerned Ichigo ran into the house and dashed upstairs to his son's room. When he opened the door he found Rukia sitting on the edge of Shiro's bed with the child on her lap. Shiro had his face buried in the fabric of Rukia's robe and both small hands were holding on to the fabric for dear life while Rukia rubbed his back in a comforting manner and rocked back and forth gently.

"Nightmare," Rukia mouthed as Ichigo entered the room and cast her a questioning look.

Ichigo nodded, showing that he understood.

Gently prying the sleeping child's hands free from her robe Rukia placed him back in bed and pulled the covers up over his small form. Rukia gently brushed back the stray lock of white hair that was hanging over the child's left eye and then stood up carefully, so that she didn't disturb him, and followed Ichigo out into the hallway.

"How long have you been up with him?" Ichigo asked once he and Rukia had retreated to their own room.

"Since a little after midnight," Rukia replied with a yawn. Her earlier annoyance at her fiancé was gone now, replaced by concern for her child. "But that doesn't matter. Ichigo when I went to check on him he was terrified of me. It was like back when we first got him, I went to hug him and he acted like he expected to be struck."

"I wish I knew what happened to him before he went to that orphanage," Ichigo said, thinking about his son's strange behavior. "I have a feeling that whatever it was, it wasn't good."

"That makes two of us," Rukia said. "I felt so bad for him. He was shaking like a leaf when I went into his room and he wouldn't tell me what was wrong."

Ichigo wrapped his arm around Rukia's shoulders in a comforting gesture. "We should probably go to bed since you know he'll wake us up at six a.m. regardless of how late he was up."

Rukia nodded. This was the truth and she knew it. Shiro was better than an alarm clock.

* * *

Five hours later Ichigo was awakened by a small hand pulling on the sleeve of his shirt. With a groan he rolled over onto his side and gazed into a pair of blue-green eyes. Shiro smiled as his dad opened his eyes and Ichigo glanced over his shoulder and saw that Rukia was still sound asleep. Apparently he'd been Shiro's first victim of the day. Getting to his feet Ichigo took his son by the hand. "Come on Shiro, let's let Mom sleep. She had a rough night."

Shiro glanced over at his mom and then allowed his dad to lead him from the room.

Closing the door softly Ichigo led his son downstairs and into the living room. "Sit here and play with your toys Shiro and Dad will fix us some breakfast."

Shiro glanced up at his dad, nodded and walked across the room to his toy chest.

* * *

Rukia was awakened by the warm feeling of sunlight on her face and she slowly opened her eyes and rolled over onto her side. Glancing over at the alarm clock Rukia was instantly wide awake. "Eleven o'clock!"

Rukia couldn't believe that she'd slept so late and she jumped out of bed and quickly got dressed. This had never happened before, her internal alarm clock could usually be counted upon to awaken her by no later than eight in the morning. Once she was dressed Rukia left her room and quickly made her way downstairs. At first she thought that the house was deserted, because it was eerily quiet, but when she entered the living room she saw Ichigo and Shiro sitting together on the sofa. Ichigo held an open book in his hand and Shiro was gazing up at his dad intently.

"Ichigo," Rukia called out as she walked across the room. "Why didn't you wake me?"

"Why would I do that?" Ichigo asked. "You were tired and I'm perfectly capable of watching our son on my own for a few hours. We've been reading for most of the morning."

"I see," Rukia said. "Well I'm sorry I interrupted."

"That's okay," Ichigo said. "We've read this book already and we were almost to the end anyway weren't we Shiro?"

The child nodded as he slid down from his dad's lap and walked over to his mom.

"Good morning Shiro-chan," Rukia said as she hugged the little boy and ran a hand through his unruly white hair. "Have you and Dad been having fun?"

Shiro nodded.

* * *

Later that day Rukia was sitting on the sofa, watching her son play in the floor, when she heard the doorbell ring. Wondering vaguely who the visitor was, Rukia got to her feet and went to answer the door. As she pulled the door open she saw that it was Orihime and Kasumi.

"Come in," Rukia said with a smile, stepping aside so that her guests could enter.

Orihime smiled and stepped through the door, her small daughter trailing along beside her. Rukia closed the door and then turned back to Orihime. "Come into the living room. Shiro-chan and I were just relaxing."

Rukia led the way to the living room and as soon as they entered the room Kasumi ran over and threw her arms around Shiro's neck. Shiro's blue-green eyes widened in surprise and Rukia couldn't help but smile at the look on her son's face caused by Kasumi's actions. Orihime's small daughter really was Orihime made over, personality wise anyway.

"So what brings the two of you out?" Rukia asked her friend as the two of them sat down on the sofa.

"Just checking on the new mother," Orihime replied with a smile. "Are you still doing okay?"

"More or less," Rukia replied. "We had a rough night last night but we all survived."

"What happened?" Orihime asked, her voice filled with concern.

"Shiro had a nightmare or something," Rukia told her. "He woke up screaming and when I went to check on him he was terrified of me. He was shaking like a leaf and wouldn't tell me what was wrong."

"Something has seriously traumatized this child at some point or another," Orihime said, fixing a thoughtful gaze on the small white-haired boy who was playing on the floor with Kasumi.

Rukia nodded. "That's what we think too. I just wish I knew what it was, or better still how to fix it."

"It just takes time," Orihime said. "He's already one hundred percent better than he was when you guys first adopted him. Give him a little more time and he'll forget all the bad things that happened to him and focus only on the good."

"I hope you're right," Rukia said.

* * *

Several nights passed and each night Rukia and Ichigo were awakened by the terrified screams of their three year old, some nights more than once. The worried parents were at the end of their rope when, at the end of the week, they decided to take a trip to Soul Society. They thought that perhaps Captain Unohana may be able to shed some light on their dilemma and felt that at the very least it was worth a try. After all they didn't know what else they could do.

So the small family once again traveled through the Senkaimon to Soul Society and, once there, they made their way to the Squad Four barracks. When they arrived they ran into Renji, who was leaving Squad Four at the same time they were arriving.

"What are you guys doing here?" Renji asked as they approached the front door.

"Shiro's been having nightmares for nearly a week," Rukia told her childhood friend. "And we don't know what to do so we were hoping that Captain Unohana could help us out."

Renji rolled his eyes. "Your kid has nightmares and you bring him to Soul Society?"

Ichigo glared at his former rival, a warning look in his eyes. "Well it's not like we could take him to a doctor or psychiatrist in the world of the living. I'm kinda afraid of what he might tell them."

"I see your point," Renji conceded, his gaze going to the white haired boy that Rukia held in her arms. "Well good luck."

"Thanks," Rukia said as she and her family opened the door and entered the Squad Four barracks. The small family made their way down the hall to the captain's office, where Ichigo knocked lightly on the door.

"Come in."

Ichigo opened the door and motioned for Rukia and Shiro to enter the office ahead of him. Then, once they were inside, he too entered the office, closing the door behind them. Captain Unohana was sitting at her desk and she glanced up as they entered the room.

"Hello Captain Kurosaki," Captain Unohana said, offering them a smile. "Rukia, Shiro. What can I do for you today?"

"We have a problem and we were hoping you might have an answer," Rukia told the Squad Four captain. "Shiro's been having nightmares for the past week, he wakes up screaming a couple of times a night, and we don't know what to do."

"I see," Captain Unohana said, gazing at the child that Rukia held in her arms. Getting to her feet, Captain Unohana walked around to the front of her desk and held out her arms to Shiro. "Come here Shiro-chan."

Shiro glanced at the Squad Four Captain, a wary look in his blue-green eyes, and wrapped his hands around the collar of his mother's shirt. It was obvious to the three adults that the child was scared and didn't want to go to Captain Unohana but Rukia pried his hands free from her shihakusho and handed him to Unohana.

Shiro immediately leaned over and reached for his mom.

"Could you guys wait outside?" Captain Unohana asked the two parents. "I would like to speak to Shiro-chan alone."

Ichigo and Rukia nodded and stepped out of the room.

Tears appeared in Shiro's eyes as his parents left him alone with Captain Unohana and, although he didn't make a sound, his small body shook with suppressed sobs. Captain Unohana gently rubbed the child's back in a comforting manner. "It's okay Shiro-chan, I'm not going to hurt you and Mom and Dad are right outside in the hallway. I just want to ask you some questions, is that okay?"

Shiro's gaze went to Unohana's kind face and he slowly nodded although tears were still glistening in his eyes.

Captain Unohana smiled at the child. "That's a good boy."

* * *

An hour passed as Ichigo and Rukia sat in the hallway outside of Unohana's office and the longer they were there the more worried they became. Both parents jumped to their feet as the door opened and Captain Unohana stepped out into the hallway. She held Shiro in her arms and once out in the hall she handed the child to his mother.

"Rukia," Captain Unohana said quietly. "Could you find someone to watch Shiro-chan and then come back here? We need to talk."

Rukia nodded. "I'll be right back."

Rukia left the Squad Four barracks and made her way across the Seireitei. She knew that Hinamori had classes at the Academy right now however there was one other person who came to mind. This thought in mind Rukia made her way to the Squad Ten barracks, where she lightly knocked on the door.

"Enter."

Rukia slid the door open and stepped inside the office. Matsumoto was sitting on the sofa, thumbing through a magazine, and she glanced up as the door slid open. "Hello Rukia. Hey Shiro-chan!"

"Rangiku could you do me a favor?"

"Sure," Matsumoto said. "What do you need?"

"Can you watch Shiro for a little while?" Rukia asked. "Ichigo and I have a meeting that we need to go to."

"Sure," Matsumoto said, holding her hands out to the child.

Rukia had been prepared for a fight, since Shiro was still a little scared of Matsumoto, but she was pleasantly surprised when her son held out his hands and allowed Matsumoto to take him into her arms. "Be good for Auntie Rangiku alright Shiro-chan?"

"Okay," Shiro said softly.

"Thanks Rangiku," Rukia said, turning to leave. "I'll be back for him as soon as I can."

"Take your time," Matsumoto said.

Once she'd found a baby-sitter for her son Rukia quickly made her way back to the Squad Four office. Ichigo was already seated across from Captain Unohana and upon entering the office Rukia quickly sat down in the chair beside him.

Captain Unohana cleared her throat. "It took some coaxing but I finally managed to get Shiro to open up to me. He has nightmares about Hollow and although he knows that you won't let them hurt him, he was obviously traumatized by them before you adopted him. However that isn't the main problem with him. His main fear stems from the time before he went to the orphanage however Shiro refused to tell me what had happened to him and nothing I said could get him to reveal that part."

"So is there anything we can do for him?" Rukia asked, her hopes that the problem would be solved fading as the conversation progressed.

"Exactly what you've been doing," Captain Unohana replied, wishing that she could give them a quick fix but knowing that one just didn't exist. "Just comfort him and let him know that he's safe. It may take a little time but eventually the memories will fade and the nightmares will subside."

"Until then we just have to learn to live with sleep deprivation," Ichigo said.

"Welcome to parenthood," Captain Unohana said.

"Well thanks for your help Captain Unohana," Rukia said, getting to her feet. "Come on Ichigo, let's go and collect our son."

Ichigo nodded and got to his feet.

The two parents left the Squad Four barracks and made their way to Squad Ten. When they arrived there they found Matsumoto sitting on the floor of her office, playing with Shiro. "Come on Shiro-chan. Time to go home."

Shiro offered Matsumoto a smile and then jumped to his feet and ran over to his mother.

* * *

Inexplicably, and much to Ichigo and Rukia's surprise, Shiro's nightmares actually stopped after the trip to Soul Society. They had no idea what had caused this turn of events but it was in no way a bad thing and they had no intentions of complaining about their unexpected bit of good luck. It was wonderful to see their son able to sleep through the night without waking up terrified.

"Maybe talking to someone helped him more than we thought it would," Ichigo said as he and Rukia stood at the foot of their son's bed and watched the child sleep.

"Maybe," Rukia said, a thoughtful expression on her face as she gazed down at her child. "I can't say for sure but whatever happened I'm grateful for it. It was torture for me to watch him suffer and be powerless to do anything about it."

"I know," Ichigo said, wrapping an arm around his fiancée's shoulder. "But now he can get a good night's sleep and so can we."

Rukia nodded.

A/N- Yes I realize that this chapter is rather short and somewhat boring however it is important so don't complain about it until you know where I'm going with this. And once again Shiro-chan would like to thank everyone who's read and enjoyed this third installment of his story. Until next we meet, this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	4. Kitty

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach

Chapter Four- Kitty

Ichigo and Rukia had a lot of paperwork to do (mainly because Ichigo had been avoiding it with the utmost fervor) and so they called the fourth seat of Squad Five, Kaiya Maekawa, to watch Shiro while they got some serious work done. Despite all of his wishes to the contrary Ichigo just didn't feel that it would be safe for their child to be left in the care of his third seat officer. The man was an idiot.

When Kaiya arrived at the Kurosaki home she knocked lightly on the door, which was soon opened by Rukia. The Squad Five vice-captain smiled at her subordinate and motioned for her to come inside the house. Kaiya stepped inside, closing the door behind herself, and then followed Rukia into the living room. A small, white-haired child was sitting on the floor playing and the little boy looked up as the two women entered the room.

Kaiya had seen the captain's son once before, right after he and Rukia had adopted the child, but she'd never spoken to the little boy. Now she followed Rukia across the room and the two of them knelt down in front of him.

"Shiro-chan this is Kaiya," Rukia told her son in a soft voice. "She's going to play with you while Dad and I do our paperwork okay?"

Shiro gazed up at the strange woman, unsure of whether or not he wanted to go with her.

Kaiya saw the look of apprehension on his face and she offered him a friendly smile. "It's okay Shiro, I won't hurt you."

Shiro gazed up into the woman's face and offered her a tentative smile.

"So Kaiya do you have any plans for today?" Rukia asked, turning her attention from her son and focusing it on her subordinate.

"I thought I'd take Shiro to the park," Kaiya said. "Captain Kurosaki mentioned that Shiro was extremely shy and distant with people so I thought he might open up more if he had some children to play with."

Rukia smiled, nodding her head in agreement. "That's a great idea Kaiya, just be careful. Shiro has extremely high reiatsu, which he can't control, so there's a chance that you'll be attacked by Hollow."

Kaiya held up her Gikongan. "I'm ready for it."

Rukia nodded and handed the fourth seat officer a small device that strongly resembled a cell phone. "If you have any problems, call us."

"Yes ma'am." Kaiya got to her feet and offered the child her hand. "Come on Shiro, let's go to the park."

Shiro didn't move but instead gazed up at his mother.

Rukia pulled her son into a hug. "It's okay Shiro-chan, you'll like Kaiya. She's nice and she's going to take you to the park to play."

Shiro still looked somewhat scared however he grasped the hand that Kaiya had held out to him.

"Be good for Kaiya, okay Shiro-chan?"

Shiro nodded.

"I'll take good care of him," Kaiya said as Rukia got to her feet.

"I know you will," Rukia said, her gaze shifting from Kaiya down to her son. "Just be careful."

Kaiya nodded and together she and Shiro left the Kurosaki home and made their way to the park. When they arrived Kaiya was pleased to see that there were several children around Shiro's age playing together however Shiro refused to go anywhere near them but instead chose to play in the sandbox by himself. After several fruitless attempts to get him to play with the other children, Kaiya sat down on a bench to keep an eye on him and it broke her heart to see him playing alone.

* * *

_"That reiatsu. It's at an unbelievable level. I've got to investigate this situation."_

* * *

Kaiya and Shiro had been at the park for about half an hour when Kaiya glanced over at the child and saw that he was being approached by a black cat. Not knowing whether or not the animal was friendly, Kaiya got to her feet incase the animal went to bite the child but as she approached the spot where the child was playing Shiro held out his hand and the cat began rubbing up against it.

A smile instantly appeared on Shiro's face and he rubbed the cat's back with one small hand. Seeing the smile on Shiro's face Kaiya didn't have the heart to chase the cat away although she did decide not to let the two of them out of her sight.

There was a soft smile on Shiro's face as he gently stroked the cat's silky fur and Kaiya smiled as she watched the two of them.

Kaiya and Shiro remained at the park for a couple of hours and then Kaiya decided that it was probably time for her to take Shiro home. Getting to her feet, she walked over to the sandbox. "Come on Shiro-chan, time to go home."

Shiro got to his feet and picked up the black cat, his small arms wrapped around its stomach.

"Shiro you have to leave the cat here," Kaiya told him gently.

Shiro gazed up at Kaiya, a sad look in his blue-green eyes, and she sighed and shook her head. "I can't say no to that. How your parents manage is beyond me. Alright you can bring it home but you have to ask your mom and dad if you can keep it."

Shiro smiled and nodded.

"Come on," Kaiya said.

Shiro nodded once again and fell into step beside Kaiya. Kaiya was unable to hold the child's hand due to the fact that he was holding the cat however she held the end of his sleeve so that she could react if anything were to happen. Fortunately the trip was uneventful and the trio soon arrived at the Kurosaki home. Kaiya opened the door without knocking and as she and Shiro entered the living room they saw that Ichigo and Rukia were sitting on the sofa. Both their eyes widened as their gazes simultaneously came to rest on the cat that their son held in his arms.

"Ichigo is that. . ."

"Yea."

"And why exactly. . ."

Ichigo shrugged. "No clue."

Rukia's gaze went back to her son. "Toushirou, what have you got?"

Shiro held up the cat that he held in his arms and said softly, "Kitty."

Ichigo snorted. "Kitty he says."

Thinking that they were upset about the fact that Shiro had brought the cat home Kaiya quickly spoke up. "I'm sorry Captain. This cat showed up while we were at the park and Shiro's really attached to it. He wouldn't leave without it."

"I see," Ichigo said. "Kaiya why don't you take Shiro upstairs? Rukia and I will deal with the cat."

The cat's eyes narrowed at this point and it pinned it's ears back and hissed.

Ichigo pointed his index finger at the cat. "Watch it fur ball."

Getting to his feet Ichigo walked over to his son and attempted to take the cat out of his arms however Shiro refused to relinquish his hold on it. The child simply stared up at his father with a pitiful look on his face and, shaking his head, Ichigo turned to Rukia.

"Just leave him alone," Rukia said, deciding that it wasn't worth upsetting the child over. "He'll probably go to sleep soon and then you can find out what's going on."

Ichigo shrugged. "Have it your way."

Shiro smiled at his parents and placed the cat on the floor. Then the child walked over to his toy box and pulled a small ball from its depths. Walking back to the spot where he'd left the cat, Shiro sat down a few feet away and rolled the ball toward it.

Pouncing on the ball, the black cat knocked it back to Shiro with one paw. The child's face lit up with a delighted smile as he once again rolled the ball toward the cat.

"That's adorable," Kaiya said as she watched the cat playing with Shiro.

Rukia nodded. Apparently her son bonded better with animals than he did with people.

* * *

A couple of hours had passed since Kaiya and Shiro had returned from the park and when Rukia entered the living room to check on her son she saw that he was lying on the floor, sound asleep, with the cat curled up beside him. The cat's eyes opened as Rukia entered the room and, stretching, it got to its feet.

"Ichigo's upstairs," Rukia said as she gently picked Shiro up from the floor. "And he really wants to talk to you."

The cat nodded and turned to leave the room.

"There's a robe hanging on the bathroom door," Rukia called out as the cat made its way up the stairs. "First door to your left."

Rukia carried her son upstairs and placed him in bed, then made her way down the hall to the office that she and Ichigo shared. Opening the door Rukia found her fiancé in deep conversation with a dark skinned woman wearing a white bathrobe. Rukia smirked at the sight. "It's a good thing I'm not the jealous type or else this would be bad."

Ichigo and the woman both glanced up as Rukia entered the room.

"Hello Yoruichi," Rukia said as she sat down beside the older woman.

"Hello," Yoruichi said.

"Yoruichi was just telling me that she was out walking on the other side of town when she felt Shiro's reiatsu and had to investigate," Ichigo said.

Yoruichi nodded. "I had no idea what it was at first, it was so strong, and I was completely shocked when I arrived at the park and discovered that it belonged to a small, human child. Shifting to cat form I approached, having decided that I had to find out more about the situation, and as luck would have it Shiro took to me and brought me home. And can you imagine my surprise when this is where we ended up? Although in hindsight I should have known you'd be somehow involved in this. So Ichigo, did you kidnap him?"

"No," Ichigo said indignantly. "We adopted him. Although it probably would have been easier if we had kidnapped him, then we wouldn't have had to do all of that paperwork."

"What do you mean we?" Rukia demanded, glaring at Ichigo. "As I recall, I'm the one who did all the paperwork Captain."

Ichigo shrugged. "Well I had to sit there while you did the paperwork and that was torture enough."

Rukia rolled her eyes but made no comment.

"So what did they think about him in Soul Society?" Yoruichi asked. "Or are you keeping him a secret from them?"

"Ukitake's already planning on training him to be a Shinigami," Ichigo told her. "Apparently our son already has some fairly strong powers."

"I see," Yoruichi said, a thoughtful expression on her face.

* * *

About an hour later Yoruichi made her way across town to a small store. Without bothering to knock she slid the door open, entered the shop, and then made her way to the back room. A man wearing a green and white striped hat was sitting at a small table and he glanced up as the door opened.

"I was wondering where you'd gotten to," he said as Yoruichi joined him.

"I paid a visit to Kurosaki," Yoruichi said as she sat down across from her best friend. "Did you know that he'd adopted a child Kisuke?"

Urahara shook his head. "No I didn't know that. Guess I should go by and congratulate him."

"The child has tremendous reiatsu," Yoruichi said. "I sensed it as I was walking across town and mistook it for that of an adult Shinigami. And he's the reincarnation of Toushirou Hitsugaya."

Urahara's eyes widened. "Born Shinigami."

"What?" Yoruichi asked.

"The child must have been born Shinigami," Urahara repeated. "It's an extremely rare occurrence even inside the Seireitei and almost unheard of in the world of the living however this boy must have kept the powers that Hitsugaya had when he died. I wonder whether Kurosaki realizes what he's gotten himself in to."

Yoruichi shook her head. "No, I don't think he does."

"Well if he doesn't now he will soon," Urahara said.

"Ichigo told me that Ukitake's already planning to train the child," Yoruichi said.

"I see," Urahara said, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Then he already knows."

* * *

Ichigo and Rukia were sitting on the sofa in the living room when they heard the sound of soft footsteps echoing overhead. "Shiro's up," Ichigo said as his gaze went to the ceiling.

Moments later Shiro came down the stairs and walked into the living room. The child glanced around the room and then focused his gaze on his parents, a questioning look in his blue-green eyes. "Kitty?"

_"Damn," _Ichigo thought to himself as Shiro walked toward him. _"I was hoping he'd forget about the cat."_

Rukia held out her arms to her son. "Come here Shiro-chan."

Shiro obeyed his mother and walked over to her. Rukia pulled the child into her arms and hugged him. "I'm sorry Shiro-chan. We couldn't keep that kitty because she already has a home but we'll get you a new kitty okay?"

"We will?" Ichigo asked as his son nodded.

"Yes," Rukia said, leaving her fiancé no room to argue.

So, much to Ichigo's dismay, the next day the small family went to a neighborhood animal shelter to adopt a cat. Once the man in charge had led them back to the room that housed the cats, Rukia knelt down in front of her son. "Alright Shiro-chan, which kitty do you want?"

Shiro walked around the room, a serious expression on his face, and then came to a stop in front of a cage that housed a group of small kittens. Four of the kittens were grey and black tabbies while the fifth and smallest was white with one grey ear and a grey tail. The four tabbies were playing together but the little white cat was sitting in a corner all alone.

Shiro pointed toward the little white cat and gazed up into his mom's face. "I want that kitty."

Ichigo gazed over at his fiancée. "Do you really think it's a good idea to get him a kitten? He's three."

"It's the one he wants," Rukia said. "We'll just have to make sure he's careful with it."

"Alright."

The decision made, Ichigo paid the adoption fee for the kitten and then carefully handed it to Shiro. "Now Shiro, you have to be really careful with him because he's little, okay?"

"Okay," Shiro said as he took the kitten in his arms. The kitten meowed softly and settled into Shiro's arms.

"And now we have a cat," Ichigo said as he and his small family left the animal shelter.

"And look how happy it's made your son," Rukia said as they made their way toward home.

Ichigo glanced down at the child who was smiling and looking down at the kitten that he held in his arms. "Uh huh."

Rukia smiled and shook her head. She knew that Ichigo wasn't really as irritated about the cat as he was trying to sound. It was merely in his nature to be disagreeable about things but she knew without a doubt that he found it just as difficult as she did to say no to their child.

"So Shiro," Rukia said. "What are you going to name your kitty?"

Shiro gazed down at the small bundle of fluff that he held in his arms, a thoughtful expression on his face, and then he said, "Kemuri."

"Ahh," Rukia said, gazing at the gray patches on the kitten. "That's cute."

A/N- This chapter's short too but Shiro-chan would once again like to thank you for continuing to read his story. This update is really close to the last one and you should thank my best friend for this because she's the one who talked me into doing it because this is one of her favorite chapters. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. The cat's name, Kemuri, means smoke, I think, I hope. If not oh well. Until next we meet, this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	5. The Death of Ichigo Kurosaki

Disclaimer- Same as always, I do not own Bleach Never have and never will.

A/N- Is anyone still reading this?

Chapter Five-The Death of Ichigo Kurosaki

(Damn!)

It was a cloudy Friday afternoon and Ichigo found himself alone with his three year old son Shiro once again. Rukia had left for Soul Society about an hour ago, saying that she had a Women's League meeting, leaving him and Shiro on their own.

_"This could be bad," _Ichigo thought to himself as he gazed over at his small son, who was playing on the floor.

And, as if on cue, Shiro gazed up at his father. "Dad, can I go out and play?"

Ichigo thought about the child's request for a few minutes. He was stuck in the house since Rukia had threatened him with grave bodily harm if he didn't get some work done while she was gone, but it didn't seem fair to make Shiro suffer along with him. Finally Ichigo nodded his consent. "You can go out into the back yard but don't go outside of the fence, okay?"

"Okay." Shiro jumped to his feet, offered his dad a brief smile, and then ran out of the room.

_"Well," _Ichigo thought to himself as he watched his son run out of the room. _"Guess I should make an attempt to get some work done so Rukia won't get mad at me when she comes home."_

With a sigh, Ichigo got to his feet and made his way upstairs. The Squad Five Captain entered his office, walked across the room to his desk, and picked up the smallest of four stacks of papers. _"I wonder if this will be enough to keep me out of trouble?" _Ichigo thought to himself as he turned to leave the office. _"It should be, after all I never asked to be a captain."_

Still muttering darkly to himself Ichigo left the office and made his way back downstairs. Ichigo glanced out of the window and then, after assuring himself that Shiro was okay, he sat down on the sofa to work on the hated paperwork. "I don't get why we have to do so much damn paperwork," Ichigo grumbled as he scanned through the forms that he'd picked up from his desk. "Ninety percent of this is pointless."

* * *

Determined to complete the stack of paperwork before his fiancée returned from Soul Society, Ichigo was completely wrapped up in his work, however he was jarred from his concentration by a scream issuing from outside.

**"SHIRO!"**

Thinking of nothing but his son and the fact that something was wrong Ichigo jumped to his feet, sending papers flying in all directions, and rushed to the back door. The concerned father thrust the door open and stepped outside to find Shiro backing away from an apparent stranger. "What the hell is going on?!"

Shiro's attacker turned at the sound of Ichigo's voice and the Squad Five Captain's eyes widened in horror as his gaze came to rest upon the half mask that was perched on the side of his head. "Arrancar!"

"So you can see me and you even know what I am," the Arrancar said with a sneer. "I'm impressed. And you have high reiatsu as well. This is truly my lucky day."

"That's what you think," Ichigo said with a snarl, reaching into his pocket for his badge. It was in that moment however that he realized that his badge, his means of getting out of his body and assuming his Shinigami form, was on the nightstand in his bedroom upstairs. "Shit!"

There was no time to go back for the badge since Shiro was on the other side of the yard, with the Arrancar only about two feet away from him. If he took the time to go back then the child would most certainly die. Ichigo knew that he only had one hope and that was to run across the yard and grab Shiro, then attempt to run upstairs and get his badge. He made a move to run toward his son but the Arrancar saw his sudden movement and seemed to realize what he was planning to do. Narrowing his eyes, he said, "There's no way I'm going to let you escape, especially not with the child. He has unimaginable power and that power's going to be mine."

"Toushirou!" Ichigo called out in a commanding tone of voice, instantly gaining the attention of his son. "I need you to run."

Even though Ichigo had spoken in his 'you'd better listen to what I'm saying or else' voice, Shiro still hesitated, his eyes wide and frightened.

**"NOW!"**

Shiro turned to run toward the gate but the Arrancar quickly lunged toward the child. Shiro tripped and fell as the Arrancar grabbed his shirt and the child hit the ground hard. A dark red spot appeared almost instantly on the right knee of his khaki pants however, still determined to obey his father, Shiro made an attempt to get to his feet. Unfortunately his leg buckled and he fell to the ground once again.

With an evil grin the Arrancar raised one hand, from which five claws instantly grew.

Ichigo's eyes widened in horror. **"NO YOU DON'T!"**

Ichigo dashed across the yard and jumped in front of his son just as the Arrancar struck. Ichigo's eyes widened and he gasped in pain as the beast's claws pierced his back. Laughing the Arrancar ripped his claws from Ichigo's back and took a few steps away from his victim, enjoying the sight. Ichigo fell to the ground beside his son and although he attempted to get up he found that he was unable to.

"Dad. . ."

There was fear in the voice of his son and Ichigo was angry that there wasn't anything he could do to comfort the child. The injury he had sustained was severe and his vision was beginning to become blurry. It was also becoming increasingly difficult for him to breathe and Ichigo could only assume that the Arrancar's claws had pierced his lungs. He forced himself to raise his head a few inches however as he felt a pair of small hands on his shoulder.

"Dad," Shiro said in a pleading voice, gazing down into his dad's face with tears in his blue-green eyes and gently shaking his shoulder with his small hands. "Be a Shinigami Dad."

"I wish I could kiddo," Ichigo said, his voice barely above a whisper, as blood dripped from the corners of his mouth.

"That was stupid," the Arrancar said in a scathing as he stepped slowly toward Ichigo and Shiro. "Now I'm going to kill you and take your powers and then it will be the kid's turn. And with you out of the way it'll be all too easy to finish off the brat."

**"GRR!" **Ichigo growled as he once again struggled to get up. He managed to raise himself a few inches above the ground but then he began coughing up blood. Barely able to breathe Ichigo fell back to the ground, his hands clenched into fists.

"It's pointless to struggle," the Arrancar taunted, his eyes gleaming with a malicious glee. "You're a dead man."

Shiro's gaze shifted from his father to the Arrancar and he raised his small hands and held them out in front of him. The Arrancar opened his mouth to speak but he was silenced when a huge ball of reiatsu shot from the child's hands and struck him in the chest. Gasping in pain the Arrancar staggered back a few steps, his eyes wide in disbelief. "What the hell?"

"Shi. . .ro. . ."

"You're going to pay for that you little brat!" the Arrancar growled, his narrowed gaze focused on the little boy. "But first I'm going to deal with daddy dearest."

The Arrancar walked the few feet that separated him from his victims however as he raised his hand to deal the finishing blow to the adult, the child threw his small body on top of Ichigo's. An evil grin appeared on the Arrancar's face, he could kill the child easily with virtually no effort, but he was determined to take care of the boy's father first. With this thought in mind he lifted the child and casually tossed him to the side.

Shiro cried out as he hit the ground but the Arrancar ignored the child's cries of pain and ruthlessly turned back to his other victim. He was prepared to deal the final blow to the meddling orange haired human but he froze in horror as he came face to face with a Shinigami wielding a huge zanpaktou. "But you're human. . . you're not a. . . this can't be happening. . ."

"I was human," Ichigo growled, his gaze going briefly to his son before returning to glare at the Arrancar. "Until you killed me, you bastard. Now I'm completely Shinigami and you're going to be completely dead. Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu!"

Ichigo was enveloped in a huge aura and his sword transformed into its Bankai form. His eyes glowing with hatred Ichigo pointed his sword toward the Arrancar. Feeling the tremendous surge of energy and realizing that this was a battle he couldn't win the Arrancar turned to flee however he was completely obliterated when Ichigo cried out, **"GETSUGA TENSHOU!"**

Sheathing his sword Ichigo hurried over to the spot where his son lay on the ground. Dropping to his knees he pulled the child into his arms and was relieved to find that, although he was covered in his father's blood, thankfully the little boy's injuries were not life threatening. "Shiro," he called out to the child in a gentle voice.

Shiro slowly opened his eyes upon hearing his dad's voice and the child gazed up at Ichigo with tears glistening in their blue-green depths. "I'm sorry Dad."

"Shh," Ichigo said in a soothing voice. "This wasn't your fault Shiro."

"Captain! Captain are you. . ."

Ichigo turned and watched as several of his officers appeared in the yard. Tomori, Kaiya and a handful of others gathered around the spot where Ichigo knelt with Shiro, and they all stared down at their captain with concerned looks in their eyes.

"We felt the reiatsu of several powerful people," Tomori said. "So we decided to check things out."

"It was an Arrancar," Ichigo said quietly, his gaze shifting to the corner of the yard. "And I wish you guys had arrived a little bit sooner."

It was at this point that the gazes of his officers shifted from him and came to rest on his mangled body which was lying on the ground a few feet away. They all issued a collective gasp and Kaiya turned back to him. "Captain does this mean. . ."

"I'm dead," Ichigo said matter-of-factly. "And I feel the need to travel to Soul Society to complain about the situation. But first I have to take care of Shiro. Kaiya could you run upstairs and grab the first aid kit from the medicine cabinet?"

Kaiya nodded and dashed off to follow her captain's orders. Minutes later she returned, carrying a small box in her hands. "Here you go Captain."

"Thanks," Ichigo said, taking the first aid kit from her and opening it. He pulled a roll of gauze and an alcohol prep pad from within the box and then rolled up Shiro's right pant leg. Ichigo cleaned the wound with the alcohol pad, which made Shiro wince in pain, and then wrapped gauze around his son's leg. "There you go Shiro, good as new."

Shiro gazed up at his dad and forced a smile.

"Shiro I need for you to stay here with Kaiya while Dad takes a trip to Soul Society, okay?"

Shiro shook his head. "No. I wanna go with you."

"I know kiddo," Ichigo said, seeing the scared look in Shiro's eyes. He ran a hand through his son's unruly white hair, further messing it up. "But Dad has a few things that he needs to do. And I need for you to stay here and be a good boy for Kaiya, okay?"

Shiro stared up into his dad's face for a few moments before he finally nodded, although it was with the greatest reluctance. "Okay."

Tomori's hand went to the hilt of his zanpaktou. "Should we perform Konso?"

**"NO!" **Ichigo snapped, glaring at his third seat officer. "There is no way in hell I'm traveling to Soul Society that way. I already know how to get there and I sure as hell don't need your help. I'm using the Senkaimon like always. You guys are dismissed."

And with that Ichigo got to his feet and walked toward the house.

"Come on Shiro-chan," Kaiya said, lifting the child into her arms. "I think we should go back in the house before someone else decides they want to come and play. Besides we need to get you out of those bloody clothes."

* * *

"I can't believe this," Ichigo muttered under his breath as he made his way toward the Squad One barracks. "Of all the ways I could have died I end up getting killed by an Arrancar because of my own carelessness. **GRRR! **This is so stupid."When Ichigo arrived at Head Captain Ukitake's office he knocked on the door and then, without waiting for an invitation, slid the door open.

"Captain Kurosaki," Ukitake said, gazing up as Ichigo walked across the room. "To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?"

"I thought I should come and inform you that I'm dead," Ichigo stated in an emotionless monotone.

"What?"

"I. . . Am. . . Dead," Ichigo repeated, placing emphasis on each word.

"How did that happen?" Ukitake wanted to know.

"I screwed up," Ichigo told him honestly. "Shiro wanted to go outside and play and I let him go out alone, which will hence forth be known as mistake number one. Then, a little while later, I heard him screaming so I ran outside and discovered that he was being attacked by an Arrancar. I made a move to attack and that's when I discovered that I didn't have my badge and couldn't get out of my body."

"Ichigo. . ."

"I know," Ichigo said, running a hand through his orange hair. "It was incredibly stupid of me to walk around without it and if you wanna yell at me you'd better do it now because when Rukia finds out about this I'm going to die in a much more permanent way."

"Is Toushirou okay?" Ukitake asked.

Ichigo gazed over at the older captain, a serious look in his brown eyes. "Do you really think I'd be standing here right now if he wasn't?"

"I suppose not," Ukitake said. "Well on the bright side, no one saw you die so you won't have to leave the world of the living. And Rukia will probably forgive you since you died in order to save the life of your son."

"Probably?" Ichigo repeated, staring over at the older captain.

"Well I can't make any guarantees," Ukitake said. "Anyway you should probably pay a visit to Urahara. You'll need a gigai now that you can no longer use your own body. Speaking of which, what did you do with your body?"

"Oops," Ichigo said, slapping himself in the forehead. "Guess I left it lying in the back yard."

Ukitake rolled his eyes and shook his head. "You're hopeless. I really hope no one walks by and sees it."

"Oh come on, if that happens then we can just use that memory modification thing. And I know for a fact that it works because Rukia modified the memories of half of the kids in school back when I first gained my powers," Ichigo said. "But just in case do you have a communicator I can borrow?"

With a chuckle Ukitake pulled a small device resembling a cell phone from his desk drawer and tossed it to the Squad Five Captain. Ichigo caught the communicator and quickly contacted Kaiya. Then he tossed the communicator back to Ukitake. "Thanks."

"No problem," Ukitake said.

"Well I guess I'll go and visit Urahara," Ichigo said. "Maybe I can get a gigai before Rukia comes home and then we can just keep all of this a secret from her."

"Somehow I don't think that will work Ichigo," Ukitake said, pulling something else from his desk drawer. "And here, you'll need this."

Ichigo caught the object that the Head Captain tossed to him, a confused expression on his face, however as soon as he gazed down at the object in his hand his unspoken question was answered. "A Gikongan?"

Ukitake nodded. "You'll need that since I seriously doubt you'll want to rely on Kon. And make sure you keep it with you at all times because if you die again it's for keeps."

"Thanks," Ichigo said, stowing the Gikongan in the fold of his shihakusho. "I'll see you later."

Ukitake nodded and watched as Ichigo left his office.

Ichigo left the Squad One barracks and traveled back to the Senkaimon that would take him back home to the world of the living. When he arrived back home he made his way upstairs and quickly located Kaiya, sitting on the sofa in the living room. "Where's Shiro?"

"Asleep," Kaiya replied softly. "He's in his room."

Ichigo nodded and quickly walked across the room and made his way upstairs. He walked down the hall and quietly opened his son's bedroom door. Peering into the room Ichigo saw that Shiro was lying on top of the covers, sound asleep, with his small arms wrapped around a stuffed black cat that Rukia had bought for him. Ichigo quietly walked across the room and sat down on the edge of his son's bed. Shiro shifted slightly in his sleep but didn't wake up and Ichigo brushed back the stray lock of white hair that had once again fallen over the child's left eye. "I'm really sorry Shiro," he whispered to the sleeping child. "I should never have let you out of my sight and I shouldn't have let down my guard. That was stupid of me. This was something you shouldn't have had to go through. Forgive me."

Ichigo sat by his son's side for a few minutes longer and then he got to his feet and made his way back downstairs. Kaiya was still sitting on the sofa and she glanced up as her captain entered the room. "I have to go talk to Urahara about getting a gigai," Ichigo told her from his spot in the doorway. "Would you mind staying with Shiro for a little while longer?"

"I don't mind," Kaiya said.

Ichigo inclined his head to her and then turned and left the room. The Squad Five Captain left his house and quickly made his way across town to a small store. When he arrived at Urahara's shop he slid the door open and stepped inside, not even bothering to knock or otherwise announce his arrival.

"I'm sorry," a voice called out from the back room. "but we're closed."

"Well I'm sorry too," Ichigo yelled back in reply. "But that's just too damn bad."

A few seconds passed and then the door to the backroom slid open and a man in a green and white striped hat appeared in the doorway. "Well if it isn't Ichigo Kurosaki. What brings you to my shop today?"

"I need a gigai," Ichigo said.

"Excuse me?" Urahara wore an expression that said plain as words that he thought he'd misunderstood what Ichigo had said.

Ichigo sighed and rolled his eyes. "Why is this so hard for everyone to get? I died today and I need a gigai. I don't know how I can be any plainer than that."

"Did you finally piss off one Shinigami too many?" Urahara inquired, wondering as he did so what could possibly have killed the Squad Five Captain. "Did they gang up on you or something?"

"No!" Ichigo snapped. "My son and I were attacked by an Arrancar and stupid me didn't have my badge or Kon."

Urahara gaped at the Squad Five Captain. "Let me get this straight. Are you telling me that the great Ichigo Kurosaki, Captain of Squad Five and the man who defeated Aizen, was killed by a Hollow?"

"Arrancar," Ichigo growled, his narrowed gaze focused on Urahara. He didn't want there to be any mistakes about how exactly he had died since he knew that Urahara wouldn't be able to keep his mouth shut about the subject. "And only because I couldn't get out of my body."

"Uh huh," Urahara said. "So why didn't you go and get your badge?"

"Because that bastard had my son trapped on the other side of the yard," Ichigo said in his own defense. "And there was no way in hell I was going to leave him there while I ran inside and got my badge. He would have been dead before I made it back outside."

"I see," Urahara said. "Well Ichigo, before we talk about the gigai I need you to answer one question."

"What?" Ichigo demanded.

"Does Rukia know about this yet?"

Ichigo hesitated before he finally replied, "No, not yet."

"Well then I'm sorry Kurosaki but I can't make a gigai for you," Urahara said.

"What the hell?!" Ichigo screamed, fixing Urahara with a menacing gaze. "Why not?!"

"It'd be a waste of time," Urahara stated calmly, not the least bit intimidated by Ichigo. "Why should I spend the evening making a gigai for a Shinigami who's going to be dead in a matter of hours? Now Ichigo that would be pointless."

Ichigo gave Urahara a classic 'go to hell' look and then turned to leave the shop.

"I was kidding," Urahara called out as Ichigo roughly shoved the door open. "Come back in a couple of hours and I'll have it ready for you."

Ichigo waved over his shoulder to show that he'd heard however he didn't trust himself to speak so he kept his mouth tightly closed. The Squad Five Captain left the shop and, with no further business to tend to, made his way back home. Opening the front door he walked inside and, after a brief search of the house, he found Kaiya sitting on the edge of Shiro's bed. She was gazing down at the child, a concerned expression on her face.

"What is it Kaiya?" Ichigo asked quietly as he entered the room.

"He's been asleep since shortly after you left for Soul Society Captain," Kaiya said, concern for the child evident in her voice. "Shiro never sleeps this long. I'm a little worried."

"It's okay," Ichigo said, gazing down at his sleeping son, who was still clutching the stuffed cat. "The kidou blast he fired at the Arrancar probably used up a great deal of his energy. It'll take him a while to recover from that."

"Kidou blast?" Kaiya repeated.

Ichigo nodded as he sat down on the other side of his son's bed. "I think it was a subconscious, heat of the moment kind of thing, but when the Arrancar was about to attack me Shiro launched a massive kidou blast at him."

"Wow," Kaiya breathed, gazing down at the child in an appraising kind of way. "I knew he had high reiatsu but I didn't realize that he could actually use kidou."

"He can use it," Ichigo said, still slightly confused himself about this unusual trait his son possessed. "He just doesn't know how to control it so he can't use it consciously."

Kaiya nodded, showing that she understood.

"Thanks for watching him Kaiya."

"You're welcome sir," Kaiya said quietly. "But he slept the whole time so it's not like I actually did anything."

"You gave me peace of mind," Ichigo countered, gazing over at his subordinate with a serious expression. "I think you did a lot."

Kaiya smiled.

At that moment the two Shinigami felt a familiar reiatsu and their gazes both shifted to the door. "Rukia's home."

Ichigo nodded and said with a note of resignation in his voice, "Well Kaiya, you can go now. There's no reason for you to stick around and witness a murder."

Personally Kaiya thought her captain was overreacting to the situation. There was no way Rukia would be mad at him once she found out that he'd been protecting Shiro when he died but she also knew that Captain Kurosaki wouldn't listen to her so she kept her opinion to herself. Getting to her feet she bowed to her captain and then left the room.

"Well Shiro," Ichigo said softly, his gaze shifting back to the sleeping child. "At least you won't have to see it this time."

With that Ichigo got to his feet and left his son's room. He made his way downstairs where he ran into Rukia in the living room.

"Hey," Rukia said softly, her gaze focused on the shihakusho that her fiancé was wearing. "Are you going to Soul Society?"

Ichigo briefly debated lying to her and saying that he'd been summoned by Ukitake but he knew that he couldn't keep the day's events a secret forever, and that it would be ten times worse for him if she found out about it later, so he resigned himself to his fate. With a sigh he shook his head. "No. We had a bit of an incident today and. . ."

Ichigo's words fell short when he realized that Rukia was no longer listening to him. He followed her gaze and saw that Shiro was standing in the doorway.

"Ichigo," Rukia said, a frown forming on her face as she gazed at her son. "Why is our son limping?"

"Um. . ."

"Come here Shiro-chan," Rukia called out. The child obediently walked the few feet that separated them and when he reached the spot where she stood Rukia knelt down in front of him. "What's wrong Shiro-chan? Did you hurt your leg?"

Shiro hesitated, his gaze shifting to his dad.

Finding the child's behavior to be odd, Rukia gazed up at her fiancé through narrowed eyes. "What exactly is going on Ichigo?"

Ichigo sighed and picked up his son. Then he gestured toward the sofa. "You should sit down."

Rukia got to her feet, walked across the room, and sat down on the sofa. She turned an expectant gaze toward Ichigo.

Ichigo cleared his throat and ran his free hand through his orange hair. "I just want you to know that all of this started because I was trying to do my paperwork."

Rukia's gaze swept around the room, where the papers were still scattered across the floor. "I can see that."

"Well," Ichigo continued. "Shiro wanted to go outside and I didn't see the harm in it so I let him. I was doing paperwork when I heard him screaming out in the back yard so I dropped everything, literally, and ran outside to check on him."

Ichigo paused at this point, somewhat reluctant to continue.

"So," Rukia prompted. "What was the problem?"

"Arrancar," Shiro said softly.

"What?" Rukia exclaimed, gaping at her son in disbelief. Shiro shouldn't even know that word. "Ichigo is he serious?"

"Afraid so," Ichigo said. "He was attracted by Shiro's reiatsu and stupid me ran out without my badge."

Rukia's gaze shifted once again to the shihakusho that her fiancé was wearing and her eyes widened as comprehension hit her. "You're dead, aren't you?"

"Yep."

"I can't leave the two of you alone for a second," Rukia muttered, shaking her head and gazing back and forth from her son to her fiancé.

"Rukia," Ichigo said. "If you're going to kill me I'd appreciate it if you didn't do it in front of Shiro. He's already seen that once today and I just don't think he should have to see it again. He's traumatized enough as it is."

"I'm not going to kill you Ichigo," Rukia said, after a brief pause in which she seemed to be debating her course of action.

"You're not?" Ichigo asked in surprise.

Rukia shook her head. "You were protecting Shiro, weren't you?"

Ichigo nodded.

"How could I be angry with you for that?" Rukia said, getting to her feet. She walked over to the spot where they stood and wrapped her arms around both of them. "Just don't let it happen again."

"Understood," Ichigo said unable to believe his luck. He'd thought for sure that if Rukia didn't kill him he'd at the very least have to listen to a lecture about how stupid he'd been but it seemed that he'd escaped even that.

"You'll need a gigai," Rukia said in a thoughtful tone.

"Already taken care of," Ichigo said. "Urahara said that he'd have it ready for me this evening."

"Well," Rukia said. "On the bright side, now we don't have to worry about you looking more like my father than my husband in a few years.

"Hadn't thought about that," Ichigo said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Well, now that we've established the fact that I'm not going to die twice in one day, I should probably go to Urahara's place and see if he's finished my gigai."

"We'll come with you," Rukia said, taking her son from Ichigo. "I don't trust you to be on your own at the moment."

"Why not?" Ichigo demanded as he gave Shiro to his mother. "I have Zangetsu and I think between the two of us we can pretty much take care of anything that may come along."

"Maybe," Rukia said, not sounding convinced. "Maybe not. But that's beside the point. We're coming with you and that's final."

"Fine," Ichigo said, realizing that it was pointless to argue with her. "Come on then."

Rukia nodded and together the small family made their way across town to Urahara's shop. When they arrived Ichigo knocked lightly on the door, which was opened moments later by a tall man. The man nodded to them in greeting and gestured for them to enter the shop. "The boss is in the back room."

"Thanks Tessai," Ichigo said and together they made their way to the back room of the small shop. Ichigo knocked on the door however this time he didn't wait for someone to open the door for him. Instead he slid the door open and motioned for his family to enter the room.

"Kurosaki," Urahara called out, glancing up as the door opened. His eyes widened as he saw that Ichigo wasn't alone. "Hello Ms. Kuchiki, this is a pleasant surprise. And who is this little guy?"

"This is Shiro," Rukia said in answer to the man's question. "Our son."

"So Yoruichi was telling the truth," Urahara said, his gaze focused intently on the child that Rukia held. "You guys really did adopt a child. And here I thought she was just pulling my leg. Hmm. Well Ichigo I have your gigai all ready for you and I'm pleased to see that Ms. Kuchiki didn't kill you. That would indeed have been tragic after all the work I've done on this thing."

Ichigo growled under his breath.

"The gigai I made for you is like the one I made for Rukia," Urahara said. "It will give the appearance of normal aging so that the people who know you and yet don't know what you are will not grow suspicious when twenty years passes by and you still look like you're in your early twenties. Otherwise people might start to wonder when you look like you're the same age as your son."

"Thanks," Ichigo said.

Urahara nodded and abruptly changed the subject. "So how is parenthood Ichigo?"

"It's rough," Ichigo replied honestly, gazing over at the white haired child that Rukia held in her arms. "But it has it's rewards."

"I see," Urahara said.

* * *

Once Ichigo had his gigai he and his small family returned home. It was fairly late by this point and when they arrived home Rukia immediately carried their small son upstairs and put him to bed. She sat with the child until he'd fallen asleep and then she returned to the den, where Ichigo was lounging around on the sofa.

"He fell asleep almost immediately," Rukia told her fiancé as she walked across the room and sat down beside him on the sofa.

"I'm not surprised," Ichigo said, moving his legs to make more room for her. "He's had a rough day."

Rukia nodded. "So have you. Are you ready for bed yet?"

"Hmm," Ichigo said, eying Rukia with a mischievous look in his brown eyes. "I'm not really sleepy but I could be persuaded to join you in bed if that's where you want to be."

Rukia playfully slapped Ichigo across the chest. "You're horrible."

"I've been told that a time or two," Ichigo said, not the slightest bit apologetic.

* * *

It was nearing midnight when Ichigo and Rukia were once again awakened by the ear piercing screams of their three year old son. Both of them jumped to their feet and dashed out of the room, pulling on robes as they went. When they arrived at their son's room Ichigo flung the door open and he and his fiancée hurried across the room toward the child's bed. Shiro was sitting up in bed and he looked absolutely terrified.

Rukia sat down on the edge of Shiro's bed and pulled the child into a comforting hug. She gently rocked back and forth with the child held in her arms and she rubbed his back in a comforting manner. "It's alright Shiro-chan. It wasn't real and it can't hurt you. You're safe here with Mom and Dad. I promise we won't let anything hurt you."

Shiro's trembling slowly came to a stop as he clung to his mother. He relaxed in her arms and soon fell back to sleep. Rukia held the child for a few minutes longer, rubbing his back in a comforting manner, and then she placed him back in bed. She gently pulled the covers up over his small body and then she and Ichigo returned to their own room.

"And the nightmares are back," Ichigo said as he and Rukia sat down on the edge of their bed.

Rukia nodded. "Poor Shiro. I really hope this doesn't become a nightly occurrence."

"Me too," Ichigo said, nodding his head in agreement. "Although I suppose we really should have expected it to happen. He watched me get killed by an Arrancar and even though he knows about Shinigami that still had to be traumatic for him. I just hope it doesn't cause him to have nightmares like he had before."

"You and me both."

A/N- Shiro-chan would once again like to thank those of you who are continuing to read his story. It seems to me like this has become a series of one shots, although I promise there is a plot buried in it somewhere. It's up to you the reader to unearth it. And poor Ichigo, I really hate the fact that I had to kill him but it was a necessary evil and it's not like his situation really changed all that much. Hope you enjoyed this, the fifth installment of Shiro's story. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	6. Crash Course in Parenting

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach

Chapter Six- Crash Course in Parenting

Ichigo was out tracking down a group of random Hollow that had appeared in Karakura Town when the communicator in his pocket began beeping. Having forgotten that he was carrying the annoying device, something he almost never did, Ichigo jumped at the sound however he recovered quickly and with a curse pulled the communicator from his pocket and flipped it open.

Expecting a message from his third seat officer Ryuu Tomori, Ichigo was surprised when he read the message and saw that it was from his fourth seat officer Kaiya Maekawa, who'd been given the task of watching Shiro for the day. The message didn't give specifics on what the problem was but Kaiya was requesting that he come back home so Ichigo knew that it couldn't be anything good.

Traveling back to the spot where he'd left his gigai hidden, Ichigo returned to it and then made his way quickly back home. When Ichigo arrived back at his house he found Kaiya waiting for him at the door, looking frantic, and Shiro nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Shiro?" Ichigo asked.

"I can't find him," Kaiya said, concern evident in her voice. "He's been acting strange all day and a little while ago he started crying for Rukia. I tried to comfort him but Shiro wouldn't let me anywhere near him and now I don't know where he is."

Ichigo thought this behavior incredibly strange. Shiro was really fond of Kaiya and he'd never cried for his parents when they'd left him with her before. On top of that Shiro had been warned about disappearing after his little field trip through the Seireitei, which made it unlikely that he'd gone very far. Gazing around Ichigo called out, "Toushirou!"

A few minutes passed and then the small white-haired child appeared at the top of the staircase. Without a word Shiro made his way down the stairs and then threw himself at Ichigo, wrapping his arms around his dad's legs and holding on tightly.

"What the. . ." Ichigo's exclamation of surprise was cut short as he felt an unusual amount of heat radiating from his son's small body. Leaning down Ichigo picked his son up and, holding Shiro with one arm, he placed his free hand across the child's forehead. Ichigo gasped as he felt the scorching heat and he quickly pulled his hand back. The child was burning hot to the touch.

"Well this explains why he wants his mom," Ichigo said as Shiro placed his head on his chest. "Unfortunately Rukia had some business that she had to take care of in Soul Society and will be gone all weekend so Shiro will just have to make due with me."

"Captain. . ."

Ichigo's gaze went from his son back to his fourth seat officer. "I'll take over Kaiya, you're dismissed. Go and help the others deal with the Hollow that are still roaming around."

"Yes sir."

After Kaiya left, Ichigo sat down on the sofa to contemplate what to do about the situation. He'd never taken care of a sick child before and he had no idea what to do. He racked his brain for a plan of action and then he suddenly had a stroke of genius. "Dad!"

Ichigo placed Shiro down on the sofa and then walked across the room and picked up the phone.

"Kurosaki Clinic. . ."

"Dad, it's Ichigo."

"Hey Ichigo, what can I do for you?"

"Do you have any patients at the clinic right now?"

"No, things have been pretty slow around here. Why do you ask?"

"Cause I need for you to make a house call."

"I told you the next time you got yourself torn up playing around with Hollow that I wasn't going to help you because you'll never learn anything if I keep patching you up. Ugh. Honestly do you ever listen to anything I say?"

"This has nothing to do with me Dad," Ichigo said quickly, choosing to overlook his dad's tirade. "Shiro's sick, I mean really sick, and I have no idea what to do."

There was a pause and then Isshin said, "I'll be there in about ten minutes."

And with that the phone went dead.

Ichigo hung up the phone and walked back over to the spot where Shiro lay on the sofa. The child was shaking and Ichigo wrapped him in a blanket and picked him up. Sitting down on the sofa, Ichigo held Shiro on his lap and slowly rocked back and forth, rubbing the child's back in an effort to comfort him. Shiro whimpered softly and buried his face in his dad's shirt.

Exactly ten minutes after Ichigo placed the call to his dad the door opened and Isshin Kurosaki walked into the house, carrying a black leather bag.

"Thanks for coming Dad."

Isshin nodded, his gaze immediately going to the child that Ichigo held in his arms. Shiro glanced up at the sound of his grandfather's arrival and Isshin studied the little boy's appearance for a few minutes before focusing his gaze back on his son. "Put him down on the couch."

Ichigo complied with his dad's order, placing Shiro on the sofa. Shiro sat up and gazed at Isshin, who was kneeling in front of him rummaging around in his bag.

"Hey Shiro-chan," Isshin said as he pulled a thermometer from his bag. "Can you be a good boy and hold this under your tongue for Grandpa?"

Shiro nodded and opened his mouth. Isshin placed the tip of the thermometer in the child's mouth and then ruffled his hair. "Good boy."

Isshin didn't wait the full minute before he removed the thermometer from Shiro's mouth and his expression darkened as he gazed at it. Isshin quickly moved the blanket that was wrapped around the child and then he turned to his son. "Ichigo, his temperature's way too high. I need for you to go and get some ice, now."

Ichigo nodded and left the room. He went into the kitchen and quickly pulled the ice trays from the freezer. Pulling a bag from one of the cabinets, he dumped all of the ice into it and began to crush it. As he was working his father joined him in the kitchen.

"I'm going back to the clinic to get some medicine for Shiro," Isshin said.

"Why didn't you bring something with you when you came?" Ichigo asked as he crushed the ice. "I told you when I called that he was really sick."

"To be completely honest with you Ichigo, I figured you were overreacting about the child's illness," Isshin said. "First time father, I figured he probably had a cold or something so all I brought with me was the thermometer and some cough medicine."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Like I would have called you over a cold."

"You'd be surprised," Isshin said, ignoring his son's expression as well as the slight note of irritation in his voice. "Being a parent, especially a new parent, messes with your common sense. When you were a baby the first time you had a cold I was convinced that you were dying. And I'm a doctor."

Ichigo shook his head but didn't say anything else.

"When you get the ice crushed place it on top of his head," Isshin said, still ignoring the look on his son's face and switching back into doctor mode. "And I'm going to warn you now he'll more than likely whimper and tell you that he's cold but you have to make him keep it on his head. And **DO NOT**, under any circumstances, wrap him back up in the blanket."

Ichigo nodded. "I've got you."

"I'll be back soon."

With that Isshin left the house and Ichigo took his bag of ice into the living room, where Shiro was still lying on the sofa. The child had grabbed the blanket that Isshin had left lying on the floor and was once again wrapped up in it. Hating himself for doing it, but at the same time realizing that it was necessary, Ichigo walked over to Shiro and took the blanket from him. With a whimper the little boy sat up and reached for the blanket, however Ichigo refused to give it back to him. "I'm sorry Shiro."

Sitting down on the sofa beside his son, Ichigo placed the bag of ice on top of his son's head however Shiro whimpered and pushed it away.

"It's cold."

"I know Shiro and I'm sorry but you have to leave the ice alone," Ichigo said as he picked Shiro up and placed the child in his lap. Ichigo placed the bag of ice back on top of the child's head and held it in place, despite Shiro's efforts to remove it.

About fifteen minutes later Isshin returned to his son's house and when he arrived he pulled a bottle from his coat pocket and filled a medicine dropper with some of the contents. Then he walked over to the sofa and knelt down in front of Ichigo and Shiro. "Here Shiro-chan take this. It'll make you feel better."

Shiro opened his mouth obediently but after one taste of the medicine he ceased to cooperate. The child immediately spit out the medicine and then refused to open his mouth again, despite all of Isshin's coaxing. He kept his mouth firmly closed and glared at his grandfather.

Isshin sighed as he refilled the medicine dropper. "Give him to me Ichigo."

"What are you going to do?" Ichigo asked.

"I'm going to make him take this," Isshin said with another sigh. "Whether he wants to or not. We have to bring his fever down."

Ichigo nodded and handed the child to his dad. Isshin took his grandson and held the child in his arms, tilting his head so that it was at a downward angle. Then, holding the child still with one hand Isshin used the other hand to pour the medicine into his mouth, positioning the medicine dropper near the back of Shiro's throat. Owing to the strange angle in which he was being held Shiro had no choice but to swallow the entire dose of medicine. The little boy gagged as the medicine ran down his throat and then struggled to sit up.

Once he'd delivered the dose of medicine Isshin handed the whimpering child back to Ichigo. "I'm sorry Shiro-chan."

Shiro turned away from his grandfather and refused to look at him.

"I think he's mad at you now," Ichigo said as he took his son back from Isshin.

"I think you're right," Isshin said as Shiro settled in Ichigo's lap, still resolutely refusing to look at him. "But I had to do it. We have to get his fever down. A fever this high is extremely dangerous for someone so young."

"I understand," Ichigo said as he positioned the half melted bag of ice back on top of Shiro's head. Shiro buried his face into the cloth of Ichigo's shirt but made no attempt to remove the ice pack.

"I'll get more ice," Isshin said, getting to his feet.

* * *

For the next several hours Ichigo and Isshin kept placing ice on Shiro's head in an attempt to cool his fever and then Isshin announced that it was time for another dose of medicine. Shiro clung to his dad, his face pressed against Ichigo's chest, as Isshin once again filled the medicine dropper yet Isshin made no attempt to pick up the child but instead offered the medicine dropper to Ichigo.

"It's your turn."

"But I. . ."

Isshin held up his hand, halting his son in mid-sentence. "You have to learn how to do this. I may not always be around to do it for you. Besides, you're his father. This is supposed to be your job."

"Fine," Ichigo said as he took the medicine dropper from his dad. "How do I do this?"

"Hold him in your arms and tilt his head back," Isshin explained. "Then take the medicine dropper and position it near the back of his throat. That way when you give him the medicine he has no choice but to swallow it."

Ichigo didn't look overly sure that Isshin's method would work but, deciding to trust that his father really did know what he was talking about, he complied with Isshin's orders. Tilting his son's head back Ichigo gave him the medicine and, although Shiro once again gagged at the taste, he swallowed it. Struggling to sit up Shiro glanced up at his dad with tears in his blue-green eyes and whispered, "I want Mom." Then the child once again buried his face in Ichigo's shirt.

"That was horrible. It felt like I was torturing him." Ichigo said as he placed the medicine dropper on the table beside him and placed his hand on the back of his son's head. "And now he's mad at me too."

"It's part of having kids Ichigo," Isshin said, fully understanding how Ichigo felt and knowing without a doubt that this would not be the last time he felt that way. "You can't always be their friend. Sometimes you have to be their parent."

"I know that," Ichigo said. "But I thought I'd at least get to his teenage years before he started hating me."

Isshin shook his head. "Shiro doesn't hate you. He just doesn't understand that we're doing this for his benefit. All he knows is that he feels lousy and that the two of us are making it worse."

* * *

This cycle was repeated every four hours and, after the third time he was force fed the medication, Shiro stopped fighting.

"Poor little guy," Ichigo muttered as Shiro struggled to swallow the awful tasting medicine for the fifth time.

"Good boy," Isshin said as he handed Shiro a cup of water. Shiro took the cup and quickly drained it, trying to get the awful taste of the medicine out of his mouth. Getting to his feet Isshin walked over to the spot where he'd left his bag and pulled out the thermometer. Then he walked back over to the sofa and knelt down in front of his son and grandson. "Alright Shiro-chan time to take your temperature again."

Shiro obediently opened his mouth and Isshin placed the tip of the thermometer under the little boy's tongue.

"At least he doesn't have a problem with this part," Ichigo commented.

"Of course he doesn't," Isshin said as he removed the thermometer and gazed down at it. "This is the least traumatic thing we've done to him all day. But we're making progress. He still has a fever but it's dropped by several degrees."

"That's good," Ichigo said, stifling a yawn with one hand and running his other hand through his orange hair. "We've been at it for nearly twenty-four hours."

Isshin nodded. "I think we can stop with the ice and just continue to give him the medicine every four hours."

Ichigo nodded. "You can go home if you want Dad. I know you must be exhausted and I think I can handle it from here."

"Are you sure Ichigo?"

"Yea," Ichigo assured him. "We'll be fine."

"If you're sure," Isshin said. "Call me if you need anything or if he gets worse."

"Okay. Thanks for all your help Dad."

"You're welcome."

* * *

As she climbed the stairs up from the basement Rukia couldn't wait to see the look on Ichigo's face. She wasn't due home until tomorrow morning however she'd finished ahead of schedule and had missed her boys so she'd returned to the world of the living early. Ichigo had been alone with their three year old son for nearly two days and Rukia was certain that he would be completely exhausted and absolutely thrilled to see her.

The first thing Rukia noticed when she entered the house was that the place was silent, which was unusual seeing as it was the middle of the afternoon in a house that contained a three year old. Slightly worried Rukia searched the house for signs of her fiancé and their son and when she entered the darkened living room she saw that Ichigo was asleep on the sofa with Shiro held in his arms.

Walking across the room Rukia knelt beside the sofa and gently touched Ichigo on the shoulder. Ichigo's eyes opened and he smiled when he saw Rukia. "Hey."

"Hey yourself," Rukia said as Ichigo pulled himself to a sitting position, careful not to disturb the little boy that was sleeping in his arms. "Is there some reason why the two of you are sleeping in the middle of the day?" She paused at this point and stared at her fiancé. "Your eyes look blood-shot, are you okay?"

"Just a little sleep deprived," Ichigo said. "Your son decided to get sick while you were gone."

Rukia's gaze immediately went to her sleeping son and she reached over and placed a hand to his forehead. She heaved an audible sigh of relief as her hand touched his skin. The child felt a little warm but it didn't appear to be anything serious.

Ichigo noticed the look on her face and knew immediately what she must be thinking. "You came back for the tail end of it. Dad and I spent nearly twenty-four hours trying to bring his fever down and I got to experience the joy of forcing my child to take medicine that was disgusting."

"I'm sorry," Rukia said.

At that moment Shiro's eyes opened and he slowly sat up, gazing around the room with half open eyes.

"Just so you know, he's going to be attached to you at the hip now," Ichigo said as the child gazed over at his mom. "Because he's mad at me."

However much to Ichigo's surprise Shiro made no attempt to go to his mom but placed his head back down on his dad's chest. The child began shivering once again and Ichigo decided that since his fever had broken it would be okay to let him have his blanket back. Picking the blanket up off of the floor Ichigo wrapped it around his son and, within minutes, Shiro was once again sound asleep.

"Well it looks like you did a good job while I was gone," Rukia said with a smile.

"Maybe," Ichigo said, glancing over at the clock that was hanging on the wall. "We'll see how things go in about another half an hour when it's time to give him his medicine again."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Rukia said.

Ichigo looked less than sure however he just shrugged. "Dad's the only reason I survived this whole ordeal. Without his help I never could have gotten through it. He came over and gave me a crash course in parenting that I'll never forget."

Shifting his sleeping son in his arms, Ichigo got to his feet. "I think I'll put him in bed where he'll be more comfortable. I'll be back in a minute."

Rukia nodded and watched as her fiancé carried their child upstairs.

About ten minutes later Ichigo rejoined Rukia in the living room and he literally fell onto the sofa beside her. Leaning heavily against his fiancée Ichigo placed his head on her shoulder.

"Poor thing," Rukia said as she ran her hand through his orange hair. "Are you traumatized for life now?"

"Maybe," Ichigo said, stifling a yawn.

Rukia chuckled as Ichigo's breathing evened out, meaning that he'd fallen asleep while leaning against her. Sliding out from under him slowly, Rukia eased Ichigo's head down onto the sofa and then covered him with a light blanket. Deciding to let him sleep Rukia left the living room and made her way upstairs to the bedroom that she and Ichigo shared. Picking up the phone she dialed the number of the Kurosaki Clinic and then listened.

"Kurosaki Clinic. . ."

"Hey Isshin it's Rukia."

"Rukia, is something wrong with Shiro?"

"No he's okay. It's just that Ichigo said he needed another dose of medicine in about half an hour and I called to find out how much to give him since Ichigo fell asleep and I don't want to wake him up to ask him."

Isshin chuckled. "Sleep deprivation finally caught up with him huh? Light weight. Well just take the medicine dropper that's with the bottle of medicine and fill it to the second line. And Shiro should take it okay, he stopped fighting after about the third time we gave it to him."

"Okay. That's all I wanted. Thank you."

"No problem. If you need anything else feel free to call me."

"Thanks Isshin, I'll keep that in mind. Good-bye."

"Bye."

Rukia placed the receiver back where it went and then made her way back downstairs. She found the small bottle of medicine sitting on the table beside the sofa and the medicine dropper was sitting beside it. Picking up both items Rukia left the living room so that there was no chance she would disturb Ichigo.

Rukia went into the kitchen and filled a small cup with water, then made her way upstairs to her son's bedroom. As she opened the door she saw that Shiro was awake and sitting up in bed. Placing the medicine and cup of water on the bedside table Rukia sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled the child into a hug. "Hey Shiro-chan, are you feeling any better?"

Shiro nodded. "I'm okay."

"That's good," Rukia said. Rukia sat and held her son for a few minutes, rubbing his back in a soothing manner and then it was time to give him the medicine. Reaching over to the table Rukia picked up the medicine dropper. "Can you be a good boy and take this for me Shiro-chan?"

Shiro grimaced as he eyed the medicine dropper that she held in her hand however he made no attempt to fight his mother. Making a face the child forced himself to swallow the medicine and then gulped the water that Rukia gave him.

"Good boy," Rukia said, hugging her son. "Now you need your rest Shiro-chan so why don't you lay back down?"

Rukia placed her son back in bed and Shiro obediently closed his eyes. Within minutes the child had drifted back to sleep. Rukia stood up to leave the room and that's when she saw Ichigo standing in the doorway with a strange look in his eyes.

Rukia walked across the room and Ichigo moved aside so that she could get by him. Once she closed her son's bedroom door, she turned back to Ichigo. "What?"

"Nothing," Ichigo said with a smirk.

"I thought you were asleep?" Rukia snapped. "What were you doing spying on me?"

"I woke up and saw that it was time to give Shiro his medicine," Ichigo said in his own defense. "However when I reached for it I saw that it was gone and figured you must have decided to give it to him yourself. So I came to watch."

"So that's it," Rukia said in a knowing tone. "You wanted to see if he gave me the same amount of trouble that he gave you, is that it?"

"No," Ichigo snapped. "I knew he wouldn't give you any trouble."

Rukia shook her head. "You were hoping."

Ichigo rolled his eyes but didn't say anything else.

"Go to bed," Rukia ordered, staring into his blood-shot eyes. "You look half dead."

"Hey," Ichigo said, glaring at his fiancée and pointing his index finger at her. "I'm the captain of this squad. I give the orders around here, not you."

"Bed," Rukia said again, pointing her finger in the direction of their bedroom.

"Fine," Ichigo said, turning to go. He'd decided that it wasn't worth arguing with her over however he had every intention of making it clear to Rukia the reason why he was going. "But I'm going because I want to and not because you ordered me to, you got that?"

"Yes captain," Rukia said.

Ichigo growled as she once again called him captain in that sarcastic tone of voice but he wisely chose not to engage her in further argument. Instead he made his way down the hall to his bedroom, muttering darkly under his breath.

A/N- Thanx again to everyone who is reading, and who enjoys, this fic. To those of you who have reviewed you guys rock. An author likes to know that their work is appreciated and you guys have made me feel that my efforts are worthwhile. Thanx again. Until next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	7. Hide and Seek with Uncle Renji

Disclaimer- I do not own bleach

A/N- Shiro's up to his old tricks again and this time Renji is his unwitting victim. Hope you enjoy. Please review and let me know how I'm doing.

Chapter Seven- Hide and Seek with Uncle Renji

Ever since Head Captain Ukitake had turned Squad Five into a living world liason squad he'd required the entire squad to return to the Seireitei once a year for a group meeting. This meant that every member of Squad Five had to travel to Soul Society and it also meant that Rukia once again needed to find a baby-sitter for her small son.

Unable to find anyone suitable in the world of the living Ichigo and Rukia were forced to bring the child with them to Soul Society. Now they were frantically trying to find someone to watch him so that they could attend the meeting with the Head Captain, which was scheduled to begin in less than fifteen minutes.

"I have an idea," Rukia said suddenly, scooping her young son up into her arms. "Ichigo, you go ahead to the Head Captain's office. I'll be there in a few."

Without another word to her fiance Rukia turned and rushed off, leaving Ichigo to stare at her retreating back in utter confusion. Knowing that she didn't have any time to lose Rukia jogged across the Seireitei to the Squad Nine barracks. When she arrived Rukia quickly made her way down the hall to the captain's office and banged loudly on the door.

"What do you want?" a gruff voice called out from within.

Smirking at the familiar hostile tone of her best friend Rukia slid the door open and stepped inside the office.

Renji glanced up to see who it was who'd interrupted his work and the Squad Nine Captain's features softened when he saw who his visitors were. "Hey Rukia. What brings you here?"

"I need a favor Renji," Rukia replied as she placed Shiro down on the floor. "And I don't have time for an arguement."

Renji eyed the small, white-haired boy who was standing in front of Rukia, a wary look in his eyes. He knew exactly what the favor she needed was and he also knew that he wasn't qualified for the job "But Rukia. . . I don't know anything about watching kids."

"It isn't rocket science Renji," Rukia told him, unwilling to allow him to use that as an excuse. "All you have to do is play with him for a couple of hours so I can go to my meeting."

Renji still looked uncertain. "I don't know. . ."

_"I didn't want to do this but he leaves me no choice," _Rukia thought to herself then turned a smug look toward her best friend. "Ichigo does it all the time. Are you telling me that he can do something that you can't?"

"I. . . uh. . ." Renji stammered before he narrowed his eyes. "Of course not! I'll watch the kid, you go to your meeting."

"Thanks Renji," Rukia said with a smile. She placed her hand on top of her son's soft hair. "Shiro you stay here with Uncle Renji and be good okay? Mom'll be back in a couple of hours."

Shiro nodded and watched as his mother turned and left the office.

Renji also watched as Rukia left the office and then his gaze shifted to the little boy, waiting. Shiro was no longer the timid little boy that he'd been when Ichigo and Rukia had first taken him in. Now he was a little bundle of energy and it was only a matter of time before that energy erupted.

"Uncle Renji! Uncle Renji!" the child exclaimed as he bounded across the room. "Let's play a game!"

_"Here we go," _Renji thought to himself as Shiro climbed on top of his desk and caused a stack of paperwork to topple to the ground.

"Oops," Shiro said as his gaze shifted from the scattered papers to Renji, looking slightly guilty.

Renji sighed, deciding to leave the papers where they were since it would most likely be a waste of time to pick them up. "It's okay Shiro. It was an accident but you can't climb on my desk. You could get hurt and then your mom would kill me."

This said Renji picked the little boy up and placed him back on the floor. "How about we play the quiet game?" he suggested in a hopeful tone.

Shiro's little brow furrowed as he thought about this suggestion for a few minutes, gazing up at Renji, and then he shook his head. "No. That sounds boring."

"Somehow I knew you'd say that," Renji said with another sigh. "So what game would you like to play?"

Shiro held a thoughtful look for a few minutes and then replied, "Let's play hide and seek!"

"If we must," Renji said. "But not in the office. We'll have to go outside for this game."

Shiro fixed the Squad Nine Captain with a 'duh' look and said, "We need more people."

"Of course we do," Renji muttered, smacking himself in the forehead. "How could I be so stupid?"

Shiro shrugged and opened his mouth however Renji quickly pointed his index finger at the child in warning. "Do **NOT** answer that."

Shiro immediately closed his mouth.

"Come on Shiro," Renji said, offering the little boy his hand. "Let's see who else we can talk into playing this game."

Shiro smiled and grasped the hand that Renji was holding out to him. With the child's small hand clutched in his own, larger one Renji led the way out of the office and down the hall of the barracks. On their way down the hall Renji and Shiro ran into Renji's vice-captain, Chojiro Hanari.

_"What a stroke of luck," _Renji thought to himself as his uptight vice-captain came to a stop in front of him and bowed. "Hanari what are you doing?"

The confused vice-captain held up a stack of papers. "I was just on my way to your office to deliver these sir."

Renji waved off the paperwork that his vice-captain held out to him. "That can wait. I have something else for you to do. Put those papers back in your office and then meet me out in the courtyard in about fifteen minutes. Dismissed."

And without waiting for any reply from his shocked vice-captain Renji continued on his way down the hall.

_"What in the world was that all about?" _Hanari thought to himself as he turned and watched his captain and the small child walk away. The man shrugged. He'd find out soon enough what his captain had in store for him.

Renji led his young charge down the hall to an inside training facility, where they found several members of Squad Nine sparring. All eyes turned toward the sound of the opening door and as soon as they saw who the new arrival was they all jumped to attention. "Captain!"

Renji waved off their respectful stances, which he didn't think he'd ever get used to. "Calm down." Then he turned and gazed down at the little boy who was standing beside him. "Go ahead and tell them what you want Toushirou."

Shiro gazed over at the group of Shinigami and smiled. "Come play hide and seek with me and Uncle Renji!"

"Uncle Renji?" Squad Nine third seat, Daisuke Satake, said in a confused tone.

"It's a long story," Renji said with a sigh. "Anyway come on. You've all been chosen to play a game with little Shiro here so let's go."

The Squad Nine members all hesitated. None of them showed the slightest bit of enthusiasm at the prospect of playing a game with the small child who stood in front of their captain. They all had other things they needed to do and even if they didn't they wouldn't want to engage in such childish behavior.

Seeing the looks on the faces of his subordinates and aware of exactly what they were thinking, since he'd had the same thoughts earlier, Renji fixed his subordinates with a piercing gaze and placed his hand on Shiro's shoulder. "You all know who this is right?"

"Captain Kurosaki's kid," one of them said, after a moment's hesitation in which he contemplated whether or not it was a trick question.

"That's right," Renji said with a smirk, about to unleash his secret weapon on his unwitting subordinates. "So which of you wants to explain to Ichigo why you felt the need to make his kid cry by refusing to play a simple game?"

There was a collective groan and then the group slowly made their way toward the door.

"That's what I thought," Renji muttered before calling out, "Meet out in the courtyard." Then he turned his attention back to the child. "Come on Shiro, I think we have enough people to play now."

Shiro nodded and followed Renji out of the training room, down the hall and out into the courtyard where the Squad Nine members were all assembled. "All right," Renji called out, instantly gaining the attention of his squad members. "So who's going to be it?"

"You are Uncle Renji," Shiro said.

Renji groaned under his breath. He'd really been hoping that someone else could play that role however apparently Shiro had other ideas. "Fine."

"Close your eyes and count to one hundred Uncle Renji," Shiro ordered. "And we'll all go and hide."

Renji rolled his eyes at the absurdity of being ordered around by a three year old however he none the less placed his hands over his eyes and began to slowly count. "One. . . Two. . ."

Shiro immediately dashed off to hide however the members of Squad Nine felt the need to whine about the situation. Renji uncovered his eyes and glared at them. If he had to play this childish game then dammit they did too, whether they wanted to or not. "You **WILL** go and hide or believe me Ichigo's wrath will be the least of your worries."

A light breeze was stirred up by the simultaneous flash-steps of his subordinates, which caused Renji to smirk.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Renji muttered darkly as he continued with his counting. When he reached one hundred Renji uncovered his eyes and gazed around. There was no one in sight however Renji smirked and quickly searched for their reiatsu. It only took him about fifteen minutes to locate the members of his squad however he found himself unable to trace the reiatsu of the small boy whom he was supposed to be watching.

"Damn!" Renji swore as he surveyed his surroundings for any sign of the child. "Didn't think about that before I agreed to play this stupid game."

Growling low in his throat Renji turned to face his subordinates, who had all fallen into step behind their captain once they'd been found. "We have to find that kid before something bad happens to him."

"But sir," Squad Nine sixth seat, Haruki Takei, said with a smirk. "You're it. You're supposed to find him. Didn't Shiro explain to you how this game works?"

Resisting the urge to blast his smart ass subordinate with the kidou that he'd never learned to fully control Renji narrowed his eyes at the group. "I forfeit. Now help me find the kid."

The group of Shinigami immediately realized that their captain was in no mood for their usual friendly teasing and they all jumped to attention. "Yes sir."

"We'll split up and search the Seireitei," Renji ordered. "He can't have gone too far."

His subordinates all nodded and the group split up to begin their search for the white haired child.

* * *

An hour passed by and still there was no sign of Shiro which caused Renji to become slightly frantic. _"I can't believe I lost him," _he thought to himself as he walked across the Seireitei. _"Rukia's going to kill me."_

"What's going on Renji?" a new voice called out, jarring Renji from his thoughts. "You look stressed."

Renji turned and saw the Squad Ten Captain walked toward him. "You could say that Matsumoto. Rukia asked me to watch Shiro for a little while and I've managed to lose him. And if I don't find him soon then I'm a dead man."

Matsumoto's eyes softened in sympathy. "How'd you lose him?"

"He wanted to play a game," Renji began to explain.

"Hide and seek," Matsumoto supplied before he'd finished his explaination, a knowing look in her eyes. "He tried to get me to play that game last week and Momo the week before that. I can't believe you actually agreed to it."

"What was I supposed to do?" Renji asked angrily.

"You should have suggested another game," Matsumoto said, the tone of her voice telling him that the answer she was giving him should have been obvious to anyone with half a brain. "Or else simply told him no. You are the adult after all."

"Easy for you to say," Renji grumbled before he turned pleading eyes to her. "Could you please help me look for him Matsumoto?"

"Well," Matsumoto said, drawing out the word and enjoying watching the man squirm. "I was going to go work on my paperwork but I guess that can wait. Sure, I'll help you look for him."

"Thanks," Renji said, resisting the urge to yell at her for adding to his torment.

* * *

Head Captain Ukitake had just dismissed the members of Squad Five and Rukia immediately turned to her fiance. "Could you go and get our son please? I have a few more things I need to discuss with the Head Captain but I promised that I'd only be gone for a couple of hours and it's already been longer than that."

"Sure," Ichigo said with a shrug. "So who did you con into watching him?" Ichigo knew that there were a limited number of people in the Seireitei who were willing to take that particular job at this point.

"Renji has him," Rukia replied.

Ichigo nodded, a feeling of doom descending upon him. With a sigh he turned and left the Squad One barracks, grumbling under his breath as he went. "I can't believe she left him with Renji. Renji. What the hell was she thinking?"

Ichigo made his way to the Squad Nine barracks but when he slid the office door open, without even bothering to knock, he found the room desserted. "Why am I not surprised?" Ichigo groaned as he turned and left the office, not even bothering to close the door behind him. Once he was back out in the courtyard Ichigo attempted to track down the Squad Nine Captain by focusing in on his reiatsu unfortunately it was a wasted effort.

"Why the hell didn't I ever learn to track them by their reiatsu?" Ichigo growled, angered by this difficiency even though he'd always had it.

"Ichigo," a soft voice called out, causing the Squad Five Captain to jump in surprise. "Are you okay?"

Recovering from his surprise, Ichigo turned toward the sound of the voice and watched as Hinamori walked toward him. "Hey Momo. Yea I'm fine. Listen have you seen Renji around anywhere?"

Hinamori shook her head. "I've been in class all day. Why do you need him?"

"He's watching my kid," Ichigo replied. "And I feel the need to retrieve him before something bad happens."

"Well I don't know where he is," Hinamori said. "But I can track him down for you." This said Hinamori searched the Seireitei for signs of Renji's reiatsu and in a matter of minutes she knew exactly where he was. "Found him. Come on Ichigo and I'll take you to him."

"Thanks," Ichigo said, falling into step behind her.

* * *

"This isn't working," Renji said in a frustrated voice as he and Matsumoto wandered around the Seireitei insearch of Shiro. "Matsumoto are you sure you can't trace his reiatsu?"

"No. I've told you ten times already that Shiro's reiatsu pattern isn't constant. Believe me if I could trace it we would have found him already. This isn't exactly fun you know."

"I'm sorry Matsumoto," Renji apologized.

Matsumoto shrugged off his apology. "Let's just focus on finding Toushirou."

Renji nodded.

"Oi Renji!"

Renji froze in horror at the sound of the one voice in the world that he would know anywhere. _"Shit!"_ Renji turned slowly and watched as Ichigo and Hinamori walked over to the spot where he and Matsumoto stood frozen in their tracks.

Ichigo's gaze swept around the area as he walked toward Renji and then he focused a narrow-eyed gaze on the Squad Nine Captain, who looked extremely nervous. "Where's my kid Renji?"

"Um. . . Uh. . ." Renji stammered. "We were playing hide and seek and. . . um. . . apparently Shiro's really good at it."

**"YOU LOST HIM?!"**

"Not lost," Renji said quickly, averting his gaze from the furious Squad Five Captain. "Just temporarily misplaced."

Ichigo's hands clenched into fists. "I can't believe you. . ." His words were interrupted by Matsumoto who held up her hand and effectively broke up the fight before it had a chance to begin. "Now Ichigo, how many times have **YOU** lost him?"

Ichigo looked sheepish and chose not to answer the question. His hands relaxed and he sighed. "Okay, no fighting. Let's just find Toushirou."

At this suggestion the panicked look returned to Renji's eyes. "We've looked all over the Seireitei. I don't know where he could possibly be."

"Renji," Hinamori said softly. "You said that you and Shiro-chan were playing hide and seek. Did you set up any guidelines or boudaries for this game?"

"Do I look stupid to you Momo, of course I. . ." Renji paused at this point as he recalled exactly what he'd said to the kid. "I said we couldn't play in the office. . . that we had to go outside," he finished lamely.

Hinamori nodded, having suspected something like this. "I don't think Shiro-chan's inside the Seireitei anymore."

Renji's face paled.

"How the hell are we going to find him if he went out into the Rukongai?" Ichigo asked, his voice filled with concern, surveying the group.

"Well," Hinamori said softly. "It's a long shot but I know a place we can look. Come on."

Grateful for any help that she could offer Ichigo, Renji and Matsumoto all fell into step behind Hinamori, who quickly led them out of the Seireitei and into District One of the Rukongai. Once they were outside of the Seireitei Hinamori led the group through a thick grove of trees, down a slightly over grown path.

The group walked in silence for awhile, each lost in their own thoughts. Then they noticed that the trees were beginning to thin. A few minutes later they stepped into a clearing, where a slow moving river was flowing. And standing on the bank of the river, staring off into the distance, was a certain white-haired little boy. Apparently Shiro had lost interest in hiding since he was standing out in plain sight, staring at the river.

"Toushirou!" Ichigo and Renji both called out at the same time, relieved that the child was safe and unharmed.

Shiro turned around and stared at the group of adults who were walking toward him, his eyes wide and his gaze accusing. "Uncle Renji," he said, pouting slightly. "You cheated!"

Ichigo couldn't help but laugh at this statement from his son however he knew that he had to address the fact that the child had left the Seireitei without supervision or permission. He walked over to the spot where Shiro stood and knelt down in front of his son, placing his hands on the young boy's shoulders and gazing into his blue-green eyes, a serious expression on his face. "Toushirou. . ."

Shiro glanced up at his dad, slightly nervous about the fact that Ichigo was calling him by his full name. That was never a good sign and the young boy knew it. "Yea Dad?"

Ichigo could tell that the child was nervous and he quickly sought to releave the tension. "Don't worry Shiro, you're not in trouble. This time. But you're not allowed to leave the Seireitei without an adult. You could have been hurt or gotten lost so don't do it again okay?."

Shiro nodded. "Okay Dad."

While Ichigo was having this discussion with his son Matsumoto turned to face Hinamori, a slightly impressed look on her face. "You led us right to him Momo. What made you think of this place?"

A sad look appeared in Hinamori's chocolate colored eyes as she stared toward the river. "This is where Toushirou used to come whenever he was mad at me. It never failed, everytime he and I had a fight he would disappear and this is where I would find him. When I heard that Shiro-chan was missing I knew it was a long shot but I thought that it would be worth looking into."

"I see," Matsumoto said, feeling a sense of pity for the younger woman. She'd just been reminded of her best friend and that was a touchy subject for her. "I'm sorry Momo."

Hinamori shook her head. It was painful for her to think about Hitsugaya however she knew that Matsumoto had also been devastated by his loss and somehow it comforted Hinamori to speak of him with his former vice-captain, who'd known him better than anyone except maybe for her. "It's okay Rangiku, really. It's easier to talk about him now."

Matsumoto nodded.

Ichigo lifted his small son into his arms and then walked over to stand beside Hinamori. He gazed down at the small woman, a look of genuine gratitude in his brown eyes, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you for finding him Momo."

"You're welcome," Hinamori said softly, gazing at the small child that he held in his arms with the same sad look in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Shiro said softly, seeing the unshed tears that were glistening in Hinamori's eyes, and misunderstanding the reasons behind them. "I didn't mean to make you sad Auntie Momo."

Hinamori quickly banished the grief from her eyes, not wishing to cause Shiro any distress, and she smiled at the little boy and ran a hand through his white hair. "You didn't make me sad baby. I'm just glad that we found you and that you were safe. That's all."

"Well," Ichigo said, turning to face Renji, whose face still held a look of utmost relief. "We should probably head back to the Seireitei and tell Rukia what happened. If I don't return with Shiro soon she'll send out a search party which, in case you didn't already know, would be B-A-D."

Renji's face paled. "Why do we have to tell her what happened? We found Shiro and he's safe and unhurt so can't we just pretend that none of this ever happened?"

"Afraid not," Ichigo said, shaking his head. "Think about it Renji. With the amount of people who were involved in the search for Shiro you know as well as I do that eventually Rukia will hear about it. And do you really want to face her wrath if she finds out about it from someone else?"

Renji shivered involuntarily as a mental picture assaulted his mind. He quickly shook his head, in an attempt to rid himself of the disturbing image. "No I guess not. This really sucks."

"Come on," Matsumoto said, placing a comforting hand on Renji's shoulder. "I promise we won't let Rukia kill you."

"Yea," Hinamori said offering her friend a smile. "I don't get why you're so worried. Just look at how many times Ichigo's lost him and he's still alive. I think your offense was fairly minor compared to that."

"Hey!" Ichigo said, turning to face Hinamori and scowling.

"It's the truth and you know it Ichigo," Matsumoto said, coming to Hinamori's defense.

Ichigo growled low in his throat however he chose not to further pursue the matter. Instead he closed his mouth and led the way back toward the Seireitei. Now that his son was safe in his arms Ichigo felt the tension from earlier disappear and he walked with a much lighter step. Renji on the other hand was still a bundle of raw nerves, looking as though he was being led to his execution, and he gazed over at his former rival.

"How is it that you're in such a good mood?" he inquired, his gaze narrowed.

Ichigo turned and gazed over his shoulder at Renji, a grin on his face, as he replied, "Because, for once, I'm not the one in trouble."

"Don't get used to it Ichi," Matsumoto said.

"Oh shut up," Ichigo snapped at the Squad Ten Captain.

"And he's back to being the grouchy Ichigo that we all know and love," Hinamori said with a smile.

Ichigo didn't have the heart to snap at Hinamori after what had happened earlier so he settled on glaring in her general direction.

When the group arrived back in the Seireitei Hinamori and Matsumoto parted ways with the guys, each saying that they had work that they had to get done. Renji watched as the two women left, wishing with all his heart that he were going with them. He was NOT looking forward to facing Rukia and telling her that he'd managed to lose her son.

"Come on Renji," Ichigo said, turning in the direction of the Squad One barracks. "It won't be THAT bad."

Renji shrugged and followed his former rival. If Ichigo said it wouldn't be that bad then it probably wouldn't. After all the Squad Five Captain had been in similar situations enough to know. But there was the possibility that Ichigo was lying to him in an attempt to lure him into a false sense of security.

"Would he really do that?" Renji thought to himself as they made their way toward Squad One. "Yes," he decided finally, after a few minutes thought. That was exactly the kind of thing that Ichigo would do and he resolved to keep his guard up until he knew for a fact that it was safe.

"There's my boy," Rukia called out from the courtyard as Ichigo walked toward her, Shiro held in his arms and Renji trailing along behind him. She held out her arms and Ichigo relinquished his hold on the child, allowing him to go to his mother. "Did you and Uncle Renji have fun?"

Shiro nodded. "We played a game." Then the little boy stuck his lower lip out into a small pout. "But Uncle Renji cheated."

"He did?" Rukia said, raising an eyebrow and giving Renji a questioning look.

Shiro nodded. "Uh huh."

Rukia noticed the slightly guilty expression on Renji's face. "What happened?"

"Shiro wanted to play hide and seek," Renji explained, gulping. "So I rounded up some members of my squad and we started the game. Unfortunately I was stupid and didn't set boundaries for the game and Shiro wandered out into the Rukongai to hide. I couldn't find him and had to get help."

"I see," Rukia said once Renji had finished his explaination. "So where did you guys find him?"

"At a river in District One," Renji replied.

Rukia nodded, she knew the spot. She and Hinamori had spent some time there themselves when Hinamori had been trying to get over her depression over the death of Captain Hitsugaya. Apparently that had been one of Hitsugaya's favorite spots when he was younger and going there seemed to help Hinamori deal with her grief. "Well Renji next time I hope you think before you agree to play a game with him."

"Believe me I will."

Rukia nodded once more. "Well come on Ichigo. We've been away for most of the day and I think it's time we went home. See you later Renji."

"See ya," Renji said as the small family turned and began to walk away from him. He couldn't believe his luck. He'd been so sure that Rukia would beat him up for having lost her kid and yet she hadn't even lectured him. This had to be his lucky day. As soon as the small family was out of sight Renji turned to return to the Squad Nine barracks, vowing to himself that he would never again agree to baby-sit for them. It simply wasn't worth the risk and yet he was forced to admit that a small part of him, a VERY SMALL part, had actually somewhat enjoyed the game before it had taken a turn for the worse.

Renji shook his head upon arriving at this realization. "I must be out of my mind," he mused to himself as he walked toward his office. "There just isn't any other way to explain it. Ichigo's insanity must have rubbed off on me. Man, I knew it was only a matter of time. Ugh!"

A/N- Hope you enjoyed the latest installment of Shiro-chan's story. Until next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	8. Seireitei Wedding

Disclaimer- I do not own bleach

Chapter Eight- Seireitei Wedding

Rukia had just returned home from a vice-captain's meeting in Soul Society and when she entered her living room she saw her fiancé Ichigo sitting in the middle of the floor, playing with their three year old son Shiro. Both of her boys looked up as she entered the room and Rukia smiled down at them, love for both of them evident in her eyes.

"Hey Rukia," Ichigo said, his gaze shifting from his son and coming to rest on his fiancée. "You have got to see this."

Her curiosity aroused by her fiancé's words and the obvious excitement in his voice, Rukia walked across the room and knelt down beside him. "What is it?"

"Shiro," Ichigo said, pulling some of the child's ABC blocks toward him and arranging them to form a word. "What does this spell?"

Shiro gazed at the letters C-A-R for a moment, a thoughtful expression on his face, and then reached over into a pile of toys and pulled from it a toy car. He held the toy up for his dad's inspection, a small smile on his face. "Car."

"Very good," Ichigo said, rearranging the blocks. "Now how about this one?"

Shiro studied the letters C-A-T and then held up the stuffed animal that Rukia had given to him. "Cat."

"Correct," Ichigo said. "Now, last one. What does this spell?"

This time the letters were N-O-S-E and Shiro touched his own nose with the tip of one finger. "Nose," the little boy said with a smile.

"That's amazing," Rukia said in an awestruck voice.

"That's our little prodigy," Ichigo said, pride evident in his voice as he gazed down at the child. "I was just messing around, spelling out different things, and I was completely shocked when he started reading the words that I spelled."

Rukia smiled softly as she held out her arms to her son. "You are so smart Shiro but I'm afraid playtime's over for today. It's time to get ready for bed."

Shiro jumped to his feet and ran over to his mom, who hugged him tightly and then gazed down into his vivid blue-green eyes. "Do you think we should help Dad clean up this mess Shiro-chan?"

Shiro glanced over at his dad and Ichigo quickly forced a pitiful expression onto his face. He gazed over at his son with puppy dog eyes and his bottom lip trembling. Gazing back up at his mom, the little boy nodded.

"You're right," Rukia said. "I think that would be a good thing for us to do."

So together the small family picked up the toys that were scattered all over the living room floor and then Rukia picked up her small son. "And now it really is bedtime. Tell Dad good night."

Shiro's gaze went back over to Ichigo. "Good night Dad."

"Good night kiddo," Ichigo said, tousling his young son's snow white hair.

* * *

Later that night Rukia was sitting in bed, reading one of the western romance novels to which she was hopelessly addicted, when Ichigo joined her. Ichigo slid into bed beside his fiancée, glanced over at her, and rolled his eyes when he saw what she was reading.

"Not one word," Rukia snapped, giving him a peck on the cheek.

"Like I'd be stupid enough to say anything to upset you," Ichigo said.

"You know Ichigo I've been thinking," Rukia said as she placed her book on the nightstand. "We've been parents for nearly six months, don't you think it's time we got married?"

Now Ichigo could honestly say that this thought had never crossed his mind however he had enough sense not to tell Rukia this fact and instead chose the answer least likely to get him into trouble. "I'm ready whenever you are."

"Good," Rukia said with a smile. "I think we should get married at the end of the month."

Ichigo's eyes widened as he gazed over at her. "But that only gives you a week and a half to get everything together."

"I know," Rukia said. "But I have a lot of people to help me; Orihime, Ran-chan, Momo, your sisters. . ."

Ichigo shrugged. "Okay, if you think you can do it."

"One more thing," Rukia said. "The Shinigami are all about tradition but I'd like a western wedding like the ones I've been reading about in my novels. How do you feel about it?"

"The wedding's all for you Rukia," Ichigo replied. "So you do whatever makes you happy. Just don't expect me to help with the arrangements."

"Of course not," Rukia said, happy that he didn't have any objections to her choice of wedding and yet at the same time slightly annoyed that he didn't want to help with the planning. "I'll get Orihime to help me do a little research and then I'll enlist the help of the girls for the planning."

* * *

And so the next morning Rukia arose bright and early and, after breakfast, she and Shiro traveled the short distance to the Ishida residence. Rukia knocked on the door and, a few minutes later it was opened by Orihime.

"Hey Rukia," Orihime said with a smile. "What brings you out so early?"

"I need your help with something and I knew you'd be up because you have a three year old," Rukia replied, a knowing look in her eyes. "Do you have a few minutes?"

"Of course," Orihime said with a smile. "Come in."

Rukia and Shiro stepped inside the house and Orihime closed the door behind them. Then she led her guests down the hall and into the den, where her daughter was playing. Kasumi glanced up when she heard them enter the room and her eyes lit up when she saw who the visitors were.

**"SHIRO-CHAN!" **the little girl cried out as she jumped to her feet and ran over to her friend.

Shiro smiled as Kasumi threw her arms around him. "Hi Kasumi."

"Let's go play," Kasumi said as she took Shiro by the hand and together the two children walked across the room to the toy chest.

"So what did you need my help with Rukia?" Orihime asked as she and her guest sat down on the sofa.

"Ichigo and I are going to get married at the end of the month," Rukia told her as she watched the two children playing in the corner. "And I was wondering whether you'd mind helping me make the arrangements. I want to have a western wedding and Ichigo refused point blank to help with the planning."

"Of course I'll help," Orihime said, a note of excitement in her voice. "It'll be fun. And we can get Uryu to make all of the clothes for the wedding party."

"Do you think he would?" Rukia asked.

"Yea," Orihime said with a sly grin. "Even if he doesn't want to all we'll have to do is tell him that he can't do it and then he'll have no choice. He'll have to make the clothes just to prove us wrong."

Rukia was slightly impressed with this plan. She's had no idea that Orihime could be that devious but apparently her friend had been hiding a few things from her.

"So where do we begin?" Orihime asked.

Together the two women discussed the details of the wedding party and who would be involved and before they knew it their two children were pulling on their sleeves. Orihime gazed down at her daughter. "What is it Kasumi?"

"It's lunch time Mommy," Kasumi said.

Orihime glanced up at the clock that was on the mantle and her eyes widened. "I didn't realize it was that late! I'm sorry Kasumi, I'll fix you and Shiro something to eat right now."

"I'll help," Rukia volunteered.

* * *

Nine days later Rukia, Ichigo, and Shiro made their way to Soul Society, accompanied by Isshin, Karin, Yuzu, Uryu, Orihime, Kasumi, Chad and Tatsuki, and as this unusual group emerged from the Senkaimon a guard spotted them and rushed over.

"What the. . ."

Ichigo halted the man mid word with one glaring look. "Captain of Squad Five, Ichigo Kurosaki, and friends. Ukitake's expecting us so back off."

"Yes sir."

With a smirk Ichigo took hold of his son's hand and led the way toward the abandoned Squad Five complex, where the wedding was being held in the conference room.

"Rukia!" a group of female voices called out as the group from the world of the living entered the barracks. Within minutes Rukia was surrounded by her large group of brides' maids.

"I can't believe you're finally getting married!" Hinamori exclaimed.

"Yea," Isane said, smiling at the younger woman. "You guys sure took your sweet time."

"Now I'm going to be the only one who isn't married," Matsumoto said with a sigh.

"See if Rukia can set you up with her brother," Isane suggested, casting a slightly evil looking grin in Matsumoto's direction. "He's single."

"Oh hell no!" Matsumoto said, shuddering at the thought. "That's just creepy."

Rukia shook her head, chuckling softly.

"Come see the decorations," Hinamori said, seizing Rukia by the hand.

Rukia allowed herself to be dragged away by Hinamori and the women all made their way down the hall to the conference room.

"Is it over yet?" Ichigo asked.

"Not by a long shot," Hisagi said, offering him a sympathetic look.

Ichigo groaned however before he had time to voice any complaints Renji called out, "Oi Kurosaki, did you lose something?"

Ichigo instinctively looked around and he immediately knew what Renji was talking about. Turning around quickly he watched as the Squad Nine Captain walked toward him, his hand clutching that of a certain white haired child.

"I'm going to be in trouble before this is all over," Ichigo thought to himself as he grasped his son's hand.

At that moment Ichigo felt a hand clap down on his shoulder and he turned to find Ukitake standing behind him. "So tomorrow's the big day huh?"

"Yea," Ichigo said. "Thanks for giving my friends and family permission to come to Soul Society."

"It's no problem," Ukitake said. "After all it's easier for them to come here than it would have been for all of us to go to the world of the living. And besides they all know about Shinigami already so it's not like it would be a breach of security or anything."

Ichigo nodded and then turned his attention back to his son, who was attempting to pry his hand loose from his dad's grip. "Stop Toushirou."

The little boy sighed and ceased his attempts to escape.

Noticing that Ichigo sounded slightly stressed out, Ukitake offered Shiro his hand. "Why don't you come with Grandpa Ukitake for awhile Shiro-chan?"

Shiro glanced up at his dad with a hopeful look in his blue-green eyes and Ichigo nodded and released his grip on the boy's hand.

"Thanks Ukitake," Ichigo said.

Ukitake nodded as he walked toward the conference room with Shiro trailing happily beside him. When Ukitake and Shiro entered the room they found all of the women talking about the flower arrangements that were scattered around the room. The flowers for the wedding were a mixture of all of the squad flowers and the effect was quite lovely.

Rukia glanced over at the door when she heard it open and she shook her head when she saw who the new arrivals were. "Did Ichigo pawn him off on you again?"

"It was nothing like that," Ukitake said with a chuckle. "I offered to watch him."

"Oh," Rukia said, slightly surprised. "Okay. Well I guess we should drag the guys in here and get started with the rehearsal."

"I'll get them," Matsumoto said, and with that she left the room.

Within five minutes all of the guys had trooped inside the conference room, although none of them looked overly happy about it. And at the tail end of the pack, looking least happy of all, was the groom himself.

Ignoring the look on her fiancé's face Rukia addressed the group. "Okay, we're going to run through everything so you guys all know what to do. But first we have to pair up the bride's maids and the groom's men. For the most part this is fairly straight forward. Orihime's with Uryu, Momo's with Hisagi, Captain Unohana's with Captain Ukitake, Isane's with Renji and Tatsuki's with Chad. And for our unmarried group members I've decided on the following pairings; Ran-chan you're with Captain Kyouraku, Yuzu you're with your dad, Karin you're with Seiji and then there's Kasumi and Shiro."

The group turned to gaze at the two children, both of whom were now standing beside Ukitake. There were a few among the group who were wondering whether it was really a good idea to have the two children participate in the ceremony however none voiced their concerns. They already knew that it wouldn't matter. Rukia had her heart set on the kids participating so participate they would and nothing anyone said would change that.

"Okay," Rukia said, turning to her future husband. "Ichigo you've got it made. You just have to stand at the front of the room and wait for everyone else to join you there. Think you can handle that?"

"It's debatable," Ichigo said as he took his place at the front.

Rukia smiled and turned back to the group. "Now the kids will go down the aisle first, followed by the other pairs and then Byakuya and I will be last."

"Speaking of, where is your brother?" Ichigo asked, gazing around the room for the one person whose presence he hadn't missed until Rukia mentioned him.

"He's not coming to the rehearsal," Rukia replied. "He said he doesn't need to practice walking from one end of a room to the other. He's already perfectly capable of doing that."

"Well I don't need to practice standing up," Ichigo said, focusing a hopeful gaze on Rukia. "So can I go?"

"Not a chance," Rukia snapped.

Ichigo sighed as Rukia and her group retreated from the room. The double doors opened a few minutes later and Shiro and Kasumi started down the aisle, hand in hand. However Ichigo noticed that his small son did not look happy and the child soon lost interest in his destination and made a detour to the side.

"Shiro," he called out. "You have to come this way."

Shiro spared his dad a single glance and then continued what he was doing. The boy reached up toward one of the flower arrangements and ran his hand over a daffodil. Kasumi glanced over at Ichigo but she made no attempt to go to the front like she was supposed to, she simply followed Shiro around the room looking at all the pretty flowers.

"Toushirou!" Ichigo called out.

The doors opened once more and Rukia strode into the room and collected the two children. "It's okay, we'll try again."

However after a few more attempts it became apparent that Shiro had no intentions of going to the front of the room to join his father and that Kasumi wasn't going to go there without him. With a sigh Rukia turned to Ukitake and Unohana. "That's it, the two of you are going to have to go first."

"But you said it had to be the children," Ukitake said.

"I did," Rukia said, sounding just a little bit stressed out. "But that was half an hour ago and they have yet to make it all the way to the front of the room. All I want is to get married with a little dignity so therefore you two have to go first."

"Alright," Unohana said, taking Ukitake's arm.

Together Ukitake and Unohana walked down the aisle and Ukitake came to stand beside Ichigo while Unohana went to the other side.

"Alright," Rukia said, gazing down at the two children with a slightly pleading look in her eyes. "Toushirou, I want you to go to Grandpa Ukitake okay? And Kasumi you go to Auntie Unohana. Please."

And once again she sent the two children through the double doors and, although Shiro hesitated for a moment, he and Kasumi managed to make it to the front of the room this time and the little boy went to stand beside Ukitake while the little girl went to stand beside Unohana.

"Yes," Rukia whispered. "Next is Orihime and Uryu."

So Orihime and Uryu went to join the others at the front of the room followed by Hinamori and Hisagi. Then came Isane and Renji, followed by Tatsuki and Chad, and then Matsumoto and Kyouraku. Next was Yuzu and Isshin, followed by Karin and Seiji. And last but certainly not least Rukia came down the aisle by herself, a huge smile on her face as she gazed upon the group that was assembled at the front of the room.

"Okay," Rukia said as she came to stand with them at the front. "After the ceremony we'll leave in reverse order, with me and Ichigo going first and then the rest of you following. Except for the kids. Ukitake could you and Unohana please make sure they come along?"

The two captains nodded, identical smiles on their faces.

"Thank you," Rukia said. "Well that's about it I guess. After the ceremony we're going to set up tables for the reception so that's pretty much all there is to rehearse."

"Does that mean we can go home now?" Ichigo asked, a hopeful look in his eyes.

"We're not going home tonight," Rukia said. "I'm pretty sure I told you we were spending the night here in Soul Society before the wedding."

"What?" Ichigo exclaimed. "No way!"

"Cheer up Ichigo," Hisagi said, placing a hand on the Squad Five Captain's shoulder. "You get to hang out with the guys tonight and Rukia gets to hang out with the girls."

"And Retsu and I are going to watch the children," Ukitake said. "So you guys go and have fun. But try to keep the drinking to a minimum guys (as he said this he aimed a pointed gaze to Captain Kyouraku) or else this rehearsal was kind of a waste of time."

Everyone laughed and the group began to disperse. Rukia and Orihime both hugged their children and told them to behave for Ukitake and Unohana and then the two groups parted ways; the girls going to Squad Ten and the guys going to Squad Thirteen.

* * *

Rukia and her bride's maids awoke early the next morning and began getting ready for the ceremony. Orihime and Matsumoto helped Rukia fix her hair and then they helped her into the gown that Uryu had designed and made for her. Then, as they were putting the finishing touches to the bride, the door opened and Ichigo stuck his head inside.

"Hey has anyone seen. . ."

Ichigo's words were cut short however as Hinamori, Orihime, and Matsumoto came to stand in front of the door, blocking Rukia from his sight.

"Get out!" Matsumoto demanded. "You're not allowed to see the bride before the wedding."

"But I have a problem," Ichigo said, a note of urgency in his voice.

"So get one of the guys to help you deal with it," Orihime said, pointing her index finger at Ichigo in a warning gesture. "Now go."

Ichigo sighed and left the room. _"I'm a dead man," _he thought to himself as he walked away from the room where his fiancée was getting ready for their wedding. Ukitake had brought Shiro back to him about half an hour ago and he'd already managed to lose the kid. _"Rukia's going to kill me when she finds out about this."_

"Kurosaki," a voice broke into Ichigo's thoughts.

Ichigo glanced up and saw Uryu approaching him, one hand holding that of his daughter and the other holding that of Ichigo's son.

"You've really got to keep a better eye on him," Uryu said.

"Thank you," Ichigo said, relief evident on his face. "I take back every bad thing I ever said about you." Slight pause. "Well almost all of it."

Ichigo took his son by the hand. "Come on Shiro we have to go and get dressed. And that means I have to find someone who can tie a bowtie."

"I can help you with that," Uryu said. "Just come and find me when you're ready."

Ichigo nodded.

Thirty minutes later, after he'd gotten himself and Shiro dressed and Uryu had tied their ties, Ichigo tracked down Ukitake, who was hanging around in front of the Squad Five barracks. "Ukitake you have got to help me!"

"What's the problem Ichigo?" Ukitake asked calmly.

Ichigo stared down at the child whose hand he held tightly in his own. "I've already managed to lose him twice and if anything goes wrong today Rukia's going to kill me. I'll turn in my paperwork on time for a whole month if you'll please do something with him."

Shaking his head Ukitake took Shiro by the hand. "Come with me for a minute Shiro-chan."

Ichigo watched as the Head Captain led his son a few feet away and then knelt down in front of him. Ukitake said something to Shiro, although Ichigo couldn't make out what he was saying, and then the two of them walked back over to Ichigo.

"Everything should be fine," Ukitake said. "And you should probably take your place. We're supposed to start in about ten minutes."

Ichigo nodded and, with one last glance down at his son, he left to take his place at the front of the conference room.

Ichigo stood at the front of the packed room, gazing around at the large crowd of people who had assembled to witness his wedding to Rukia, however his attention went to the back of the room when he heard music begin to play. The double doors opened and Unohana and Ukitake began to walk slowly down the aisle, arm in arm. They let go of each other when they reached the front of the room and Ukitake took his place beside Ichigo and Unohana took her place on the other side.

_"Here we go," _Ichigo thought to himself as Shiro and Kasumi appeared in the double doors.

The two children were holding hands, Shiro dressed in a white tux with a pale blue vest and tie and Kasumi wearing a pale pink dress, and they walked slowly down the aisle together. And when they reached the front of the room they released their grip on each other and took their respective places.

_"I don't believe it,"_ Ichigo thought to himself as Shiro came to stand beside him.

Once all of the bride's maids and groom's men had assembled in the front of the room the music changed and everyone got to their feet and watched as Rukia appeared in the doorway, her arm wrapped around that of her brother Byakuya.

Ichigo gasped as he saw his bride, dressed in an elegant white gown. Rukia always looked beautiful however today she looked absolutely radiant and Ichigo found that he couldn't keep his eyes off of her as she walked down the aisle toward him.

Rukia and Byakuya walked slowly down the aisle and when they reached the spot where Ichigo stood, Byakuya took his old rival's hand and then placed Rukia's hand in his. Then he took his place at the end of the line so that the ceremony could begin.

"You look beautiful," Ichigo whispered.

Rukia blushed and smiled, love for Ichigo evident in her eye.

* * *

Throughout the ceremony Ichigo cast covert glances over at his son however, apart from some fidgeting and pulling on his tie, the little boy behaved himself really well, which completely shocked his dad. _"I don't know how Ukitake did it but I'm impressed."_

* * *

When the ceremony ended Ichigo and Rukia made their way down the aisle toward the doors, now officially husband and wife, and then they were followed by their wedding party. Once they were all out in the hallway Ukitake addressed the group. "Now all of the guys are going to move the benches and set up the tables. You ladies just hang out until we're finished."

Then Ukitake glanced down at Shiro, produced a large lollipop from inside his jacket and handed it to the child. "Good job Shiro-chan."

_"So that's how he did it," _Ichigo thought to himself as he witnessed this scene. _"He's going to turn my son into an extortionist."_

"So Ukitake," Ichigo said as he and the rest of the guys moved the benches and set up the tables for the reception. "What was up with the candy? I appreciate the fact that you got Shiro to behave himself however I'm not sure I like your methods."

Ukitake chuckled. "Now Ichigo you have no right to say anything about my methods. After all wasn't it you who promised to turn in your paperwork on time for a month if I got Shiro to behave himself?"

Ukitake had a point so Ichigo dropped the matter.

"I'm holding you to that by the way," Ukitake said.

Once the room had been transformed all the guests, as well as the remainder of the wedding party, reentered the room and the party began. After Rukia and Ichigo's first dance the couple joined their friends at the large table in the front of the room. Shiro was sitting beside Ukitake and he was once again messing with his tie.

"Shiro," Ichigo said in a warning tone however Rukia walked over to the little boy and removed his tie. "There, that's better isn't it kiddo?"

Shiro nodded and smiled up at his mother.

Rukia turned back to her new husband and smiled at the stunned expression on his face. "You can take yours off too if you want Ichigo. We did pictures before the ceremony so there's really no reason why you have to keep wearing it."

"Thanks," Ichigo said as he removed his own tie.

* * *

The party lasted for several hours and then the guests began to slowly depart until only Rukia, Ichigo, Shiro, Hinamori, Hisagi, Ukitake and Unohana remained.

"Thanks again for letting us have the service here in the Seireitei Head Captain Ukitake," Rukia said with a smile.

"You're welcome," Ukitake said.

Then Rukia turned to Hinamori. "Are you sure you guys don't mind watching Shiro for a few days?"

"Not at all," Hinamori said with a smile. "You guys go and have fun."

"I'm sending Renji to keep things under control in Squad Five until you return," Ukitake said. "No offense but I don't think your third seat is quite up to the task."

"Why the hell do you think I'd be offended by that?" Ichigo asked. "I was about to tell you the same thing."

Rukia knelt down in front of her son and gazed into his blue-green eyes. "Now you be good for Auntie Momo and Uncle Shuhei alright Shiro-chan?"

Shiro nodded.

Rukia got to her feet and gazed over at her husband. "Are you ready to go?"

Ichigo nodded and, after they told everyone bye and hugged their son, the newlyweds left the Squad Five barracks.

A/N- Just a little bit of pointless fluff. I really didn't have a deeper meaning in mind when I wrote this chapter, I pretty much did it because the idea was stuck in my head and this was the only way to get it out. This said, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Til next time, this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	9. Story Time

Disclaimer- I do not own bleach.

A/N- This chapter is dedicated to my best friend, affectionately known as lieutenant-taijiya, because I so totally stole her idea. I confess, but in my defense it was a really good idea and I just couldn't resist. The writing is my work however the idea was hers first and when I asked if I could use it she told me that she didn't mind because if I wrote it at least she'd get to read it at some point. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter Nine - Story Time

Head Captain Ukitake was attempting to finish his paperwork however it was proving difficult seeing as he had a hyperactive three year old roaming around his office. And while Shiro wasn't a bad kid he was extremely curious which tended to get him into trouble. This meant that Ukitake had to try and do his paperwork while keeping one eye on the child and it wasn't really working out for him.

"Shiro," Ukitake said for the tenth time as the small white-haired child once again reached out for something that he wasn't supposed to touch.

Shiro immediately pulled his hand back and gazed over at Ukitake with an innocent expression in his blue-green eyes.

"Don't look at me like that," Ukitake said in a fatherly tone, his gaze focused on the little boy. "I saw what you were about to do."

At that moment the door of the office slid open and the captain of Squad Eight, Shunsui Kyouraku, walked into the office. As always Captain Kyouraku was dressed in his bright pink, flower adorned haori and he grinned as he focused his gaze on the Head Captain. "Hey Jyuushirou, what's up?"

Ukitake shook his head and gazed over at his best friend. "I was trying to do my paperwork however I keep getting distracted."

Kyouraku held up his hands. "Hey I'll leave if you want me to."

"It's not just you," Ukitake said, gesturing toward the child who was standing near one of the office's many bookcases. "Young Kurosaki over there is doing his part in keeping me behind in my paperwork so it wouldn't make a difference even if you did leave."

Captain Kyouraku turned and focused his gaze on the child, who offered him a small smile. "So how did you get stuck with the kid? Where are his parents?"

"They had some kind of mission," Ukitake said with a shrug. "And since I'm the Head Captain I really should know what it is but in all honesty I haven't a clue. All they told me was that they needed someone to watch Shiro, since Kaiya has to occassionally have a day off, and I was nominated."

Kyouraku smiled. His friend was trying to sound annoyed with the situation however he wasn't having much success with the act. Kyouraku could tell that, despite the distraction that the child posed, Ukitake really did enjoy having the little boy around.

"So what are you doing?" Ukitake asked his long time friend.

"Well," Kyouraku said, holding up a small bottle. "I came to see if you'd like to join me for a drink but. . ."

Captain Kyouraku's words were cut short by a series of loud knocks on the office door. Both he and Ukitake gazed toward the door and the Head Captain called out, "Enter."

The door slid open and Ukitake's third seat Kiyone hurried into the office. "Sorry to bother you Head Captain Ukitake," she said as she rushed toward his desk. "But Squad Eleven's at it again. I swear I think they're out to destroy one another."

Ukitake sighed as he heard this news, which he routinely heard. Sometimes he wondered why he put up with Squad Eleven; they were constantly fighting amongst themselves and disrupting the peace of the Seireitei. "Thanks for the report Kiyone. I'll go and take care of the problem immediately."

Kiyone bowed to her captain and left the office.

Once his third seat was gone Ukitake fixed his best friend with a pointed stare. "Shunsui I need a favor."

"What is it?" Kyouraku asked, even though he already had a pretty good idea of what the request was going to be.

"Can you take care of Shiro while I go and sort out the problem with Squad Eleven?"

Kyouraku's gaze once again went to the small boy who was now wandering around the office and, after a few moments, he nodded. "Sure, why not."

"Thanks," Ukitake said, getting to his feet. The Head Captain walked around to the front of his desk and then made his way across his office to the spot where Shiro was standing. Kneeling in front of the little boy, Ukitake placed a hand on each of his shoulders and gazed into his eyes. "Shiro, Grandpa Ukitake has something that he has to go and take care of. But this is my friend Captain Kyouraku and he's going to play with you until I get back, okay?"

"Okay," Shiro said brightly, turning to offer the Squad Eight Captain another smile.

"That's my boy," Ukitake said, tousling the boy's hair and then getting to his feet. "Now you behave for Captain Kyouraku and I'll be back soon."

And with that Ukitake left the office.

As soon as the Head Captain was gone Captain Kyouraku walked over to the spot where Shiro stood and offered the little boy his hand. "Well come on kiddo. There's no way I'm going to hang out here until he gets back. We'll go outside."

"Okay Captain Kyouraku," the small boy said in his soft voice.

"You don't have to call me Captain," Kyouraku said, making a face. "That sounds too formal and stuffy, _(especially coming from a three year old). _Just call me Shunsui."

"Okay."

Shiro grasped Kyouraku's hand and together the two of them left the Head Captain's office and made their way across the Seireitei to the Squad Eight barracks. When they arrived, instead of going into the building Captain Kyouraku led the child across the courtyard to a large tree. The Squad Eight Captain sat down and leaned up against the tree, leaving the little boy to stand and stare at him.

Kyouraku contemplated what the two of them should do for a few minutes and then an idea came to him. "Hey Shiro, how would you like for me to tell you a story?"

"Yea!" Shiro exclaimed, his eyes lighting up and a smile spreading across his face.

Kyouraku smiled back at the child. "Sounds like a plan then. Sit down kiddo."

Shiro sat down beside Kyouraku and gazed up at the captain expectantly.

"Once upon a time in a land far, far away. . ."

"You mean the living world?"

Kyouraku paused at the question, slightly surprised, and then said, "Uh no. Just listen to the story okay?"

Shiro sighed and said, "Okay."

"As I was saying, once upon a time in a land far far away there lived a squire and the princess that he served. Now together the squire and the princess battled fierce monsters. . ."

"Hollows!" Shiro piped up.

Fighting hard to supress a smile, Kyouraku glanced down at the boy and said, "Do you wanna hear this or not?" Shiro immediately clamped both hands over his mouth and glanced up at the Squad Eight Captain with a concerned expression on his face, worried that he'd ruined his chances of hearing a story. Captain Kyouraku smiled and then continued with the story. "The squire and the princess constantly battled fierce monsters in order to protect all of the helpless people who were being preyed upon by said monsters. Now the princess came from a kingdom with the knowledge and magical powers necessary to battle the monsters however the squire was virtually powerless against them. During one of their very first battles together the squire was gravely injured and, in an attempt to save his life, the princess gave him some of her powers so that he could stand against the monsters. And while this worked to the squire's advantage it diminished the powers that the princess possessed and left her vulnerable."

Kyouraku paused at this point and gazed down at the child. Shiro was gazing up at him with a rapt expression and the Squad Eight Captain smiled once again.

"After transfering some of her powers to the squire the princess began to train him to fight against the monsters. The squire was reluctant at first, he hadn't asked for such responsibility, but as he got to know the princess he began to see her battle as his own and it was then that he began to take the training seriously. Unfortunately there were those who were jealous of the princess and one day two such people appeared and attempted to force the princess to return to her kingdom. The princess was walking down a path when she was suddenly attacked by a man dressed all in black."

Shiro opened his mouth, prepared for another outburst, but then seemed to remember that he wasn't supposed to interrupt. He immediately closed his mouth, placed his hands over it, and gazed up at Kyouraku.

" 'Where have you been Princess?' the man in black asked the princess as he leapt from a tree and landed beside her. 'We've been looking everywhere for you and now that we've found you, you're coming with us.' The princess jumped back as the man landed in her path and her eyes widened. The man who was standing in front of her had once been her best friend. They'd grown up together and had been virtually inseperable and yet now he was staring at her with a threatening look in his eyes. 'Why are you doing this?' the princess asked as she backed away from her friend. Instead of a reply the man drew his sword and dashed toward the princess however he was forced back as the squire appeared in front of him, his own sword drawn. 'If you have a problem with the princess then you have a problem with me' the squire said as he pointed his blade at the other man's throat. The man in black smirked as he eyed the newcomer. 'Back off little boy, I could kill you in a second without even breaking a sweat.' The squire smirked, completely unconcerned by the man's threat. 'If you think so then stop running your mouth and bring it on.' The man in black held up his sword but before he could engage the squire in battle the princess ran forward. 'Stop," she cried as the two, old friend and new, prepared for battle. 'You don't have to do this.' 'Stay out of it,' both men snapped before resuming their battle."

Captain Kyouraku paused at this point as he heard the sound of someone approaching. He glanced up and watched as his vice-captain, Nanao Ise, walked across the courtyard toward the spot where he and Shiro were sitting beneath the tree.

"Hello Nanao-chan," Kyouraku called out cheerfully as his stern looking vice-captain came to a stop a few feet away.

"Captain Kyouraku," Nanao said, choosing to ignore his use of the nickname, which she loathed. "What are you doing out here? Don't you have work that you should be doing?"

"I'm following orders," Kyouraku told her with a smirk, gesturing toward the little boy who was sitting beside him. After all it wasn't often that he was able to argue with her and have a hope of winning and he had every intention of taking full advantage of this rare occurence. "Head Captain Ukitake asked me to keep an eye on the kid so that's what I'm doing. I was just in the middle of telling him a story when you showed up."

Nanao's gaze went from her captain to the small child who was sitting beside him. The little boy was gazing up at the captain with a look of anticipation and Nanao's gaze went back to Captain Kyouraku. "Well if you're telling a story then you should probably get on with it sir."

Captain Kyouraku smiled and motioned for his vice-captain to join them. Curious despite herself, Nanao sat down on the grass a few feet away from her captain, wondering as she did so exactly what kind of story he was telling.

"Now where was I?" Kyouraku asked, gazing down at Shiro.

"The squire and the bad man were about to fight," Shiro replied, gazing up at the captain with a look of anticipation in his blue-green eyes.

"That's right," Kyouraku said with a grin. "Well the squire and the man in black began their battle and although the man in black had the advantage early on as the battle progressed the squire gained the upper hand. When he learned that the man in black planned to force the princess to return to her kingdom the squire's eyes glowed with a malevolent aura and he held up his sword. 'I won't allow you to treat her like this,' he growled before rushing toward his opponant. The man in black made an attempt to block the squire's blow however the force of the attack proved to be too much for him and he was knocked back a few feet by the sheer force of the blow. Without pause or hesitation the squire swung his blade again and then again. Completely overpowered it was all the man in black could do to fend off the squire's attacks however, fortunately for him, just as the squire was about to deal the finishing blow he felt a tremendous wind rush by him. Glancing away from his opponant he saw a second man, also dressed in black, standing a few feet away and holding a piece of metal in his hand. It was the black knight, who came from the same kingdom as the princess, and the squire's eyes widened in horror as he saw that the piece of metal in the new arrival's hand was the tip of his sword, which had been broken off without his even noticing."

As Nanao listened to the story she couldn't help but smile slightly. Only her captain could turn the story of the Squad Five Captain into the Seireitei version of a child's fairy tale and despite herself she was impressed with his skills as a story teller.

"The squire made a move to rush toward the black knight however the knight rushed toward him and the squire felt a sudden and intense flash of pain. He fell to the ground, unable to move, and watched as the black knight walked slowly toward him. The black knight raised his sword, prepared to deal the final blow, however the princess rushed forward. 'Please spare him and I'll return to the kingdom with you.' The squire managed to raise his head and the princess gazed down at him. 'Do not attempt to follow me. If you do, I'll never forgive you.' And with that the princess turned and followed the black knight and his squire away from the spot where her squire lay in a pool of blood."

Kyouraku paused at this point in the story and Shiro gazed up at him, a questioning look in his blue-green eyes. "That isn't the end is it? The bad guys can't win."

Captain Kyouraku chuckled softly to himself. "Don't worry kiddo, this isn't the end of the story. Far from it in fact."

Shiro smiled and gazed up at Kyrouraku expectantly.

"As he lay in a pool of his own blood, the squire berated himself for having allowed the black knight and his squire to take the princess. 'How could I let this happen?' The squire's thoughts were interrupted when he saw the shadow of someone standing over him. He managed to glance up and he saw a strange man standing over him. 'Who are you?' 'Who I am is not important,' the strange man told the squire. 'All you need to know is that I'm here to help.' The strange man was actually a wizard who hailed from the same kingdom as the princess however he wasn't about to give that information to the squire. 'Help with what?' the squire asked bitterly. 'The princess is gone now and there's nothing I can do about it.' 'But that's where you're wrong. All you need to do to beat the black knight and save the princess is to become a knight yourself.' The squire rolled his eyes. 'Even if I could become a knight the princess doesn't want my help and she's probably better off without me.' 'Wrong again,' the wizard said, leaning over the squire and offering the young man his hand. 'The princess told you to stay away in order to protect you but the truth is that she's been sentenced to death for sharing the secrets of her kingdom with an outsider and if you don't help her then she'll die.' "

Shiro's eyes widened at this point and he gazed up at Captain Kyouraku. "That's a stupid reason to kill someone."

"I know little one," Captain Kyouraku said, nodding his head. "But sometimes adults do stupid things."

"Hmm," Shiro said.

"The squire thought about the wizard's words for a few minutes and then he gazed up at the man, 'What do I have to do to become a knight?' The wizard smiled. 'Just stick with me and you'll be a knight in no time.' The wizard took the squire under his wing and together the two of them trained for three days. And at the end of the third day of training the wizard drew his sword and challenged the squire to a battle. 'If you can beat me then you will truly be a knight and I will know that you stand a chance of rescuing the princess.' The squire held up his new sword and said, 'Let's do it.' With a smile the wizard swung his sword and the two began to battle. At first the squire was merely holding his own against the wizard, unable to fight on the same level, however as his thoughts focused on the princess his eyes began to glow and he held up his sword. The squire swung his sword and watched as a flash of light erupted from the tip, a strange combination of magic and strength. . ."

"Like a Shinigami!" Shiro exclaimed.

"Something like that," Kyouraku said with a chuckle.

"Oops," Shiro said, gazing up at the Squad Eight Captain apprehensively.

"It's alright," Kyouraku told the little boy. "The wizard managed to block the attack at the last possible second and as the smoke cleared he smiled over at the squire. 'Now you are truly a knight and I now know that you have the power necessary to face impossible odds and rescue the princess.' "

"Captain. . ."

Pausing his story Captain Kyouraku glanced over at his vice-captain. "What is it Nanao-chan?"

With a jerk of her head, Nanao gestured toward the edge of the courtyard. Following the gesture Captain Kyouraku shifted his gaze and saw that Head Captain Ukitake was walking slowly toward them. He grinned as his friend came to a stop a couple of feet from him. "Hey Jyuu, did you get Squad Eleven sorted out?"

Ukitake nodded. "Finally. Now I've come to collect my child. Are you ready to go Shiro-chan?"

"No!" Shiro exclaimed, shaking his head.

Ukitake was stunned. "Why not?"

"I have to find out what happens to the knight," Shiro said, his gaze shifting back and forth between Ukitake and Kyouraku.

Head Captain Ukitake turned his attention to his long time best friend. "Knight? What in the world is he talking about Shunsui?"

"We were in the middle of a story," Kyouraku explained with a chuckle.

"I see," Ukitake said, slightly curious. "Well Shiro, would you like for Captain Kyouraku to finish the story before we go back?"

"Yes," Shiro said.

Captain Kyouraku gestured toward the ground beside him. "Why don't you join us Jyuushirou?"

Thinking to himself that a story being told by his best friend might be amusing to say the least, Head Captain Ukitake nodded and sat down on the grass.

"Alright," Kyouraku said, then paused. "Thanks to this latest interruption I've lost my place again."

"The squire just became a knight," Shiro said, his gaze focused on Kyouraku. "Now he has to go save the princess."

"That's right, now I remember," Kyouraku said with a smile, slightly surprised that the three year old was paying such good attention. "So the squire is now a knight and is preparing to travel to the far away kingdom in pursuit of the princess. However the wizard knows that he won't be able to do this on his own and asks the white knight to gather some of his most trusted friends to accompany him on the journey. At first the white knight is reluctant to ask his friends for help but once he learns that they've all been training with a witch for the past three days he knows that their help really would be useful. As it turns out the witch was a friend of the wizard and had been training the white knight's friends on his request and she was also going to lead them to the princess' kingdom since none of them knew where it was."

Ukitake couldn't help but smile as he listened to this story and yet he had the feeling that Ichigo wouldn't really appreciate such a major event in his life being turned into a child's fairy tale. _"I can't help but think that Ichigo will be slightly angry if he finds out about this story."_

"The witch led the way toward the kingdom where the princess was being held captive and although the four friends were fairly strong the journey was none the less difficult. They arrived at the kingdom only to find that the palace, where the princess was being held, was surrounded by a huge wall. 'No!' the white knight exclaimed as he and his companions gazed over at the wall. 'It's okay,' the witch told him, a grim expression on her face. 'I know it looks impossible from here but there is a way for us to get over the wall. We just need a little help.' The white knight looked skeptical however he had no choice but to rely on his guide and hope that she really did know what she was doing. 'I'm warning you now witch,' the white knight growled, glaring at the woman. 'If you're lying I'll . . .' Unphased by his threat the witch merely stared at the white knight, one eyebrow raised. 'Yea well let's go,' the white knight said gruffly."

"He acts like my dad," Shiro stated in a matter of fact voice, which forced both Kyouraku and Ukitake to quickly cover their mouths with their hands to hide their grins.

"You think so kiddo?" Kyouraku asked when he'd recovered a little.

Shiro nodded.

"You could be right," Kyouraku said, running a hand through the boy's unruly white hair. "Anyway the witch led the group of friends to the house of a friend of hers. This friend was an alchemist, who specialized in the mixing of explosives, and it was that talent that the witch sought to use in their attempt to get over the palace wall. The alchemist didn't care anything about the friends' quest to save the princess however she saw this as a way to challenge her skills and thus agreed to help them. The alchemist used a mixture of ingredients to create the mother of all bombs, which she attached to a form of catapult. It was at this point in the plan that the four friends became concerned. Apparently they weren't overly excited about the prospects of being launched into space with several pounds of high explosives. However the witch forced them into it and, to their utter surprise, the plan actually succeeded and did not end in their untimely and gruesome deaths. Once inside the palace walls the witch decided that it would be in their best interests to split up so that the guards would have a harder time tracking them down before they reached the princess. Before they parted ways the witch explained to them that the princess was being held in the highest tower of the palace. Then they each went their separate ways."

Kyouraku paused at this point and Shiro frowned. "Why are you stopping?"

Kyouraku held up his hands. "Alright alright, I'm going. The white knight departed from the spot where he and his friends had entered the palace grounds and made his way toward the highest tower, where the princess was being held. He hadn't gotten very far however when an old enemy appeared before him. It was the black squire who had accompanied the black knight to retrieve the princess. The white knight glared at the squire and drew his sword. 'Get out of my way. I'm here to save the princess and I don't have time to deal with you right now.' The black squire glared at the white knight, the light of pure hatred gleaming in his eyes. 'How dare you speak of saving her when it's your fault that she's been condemned in the first place. If she hadn't taught you forbidden magic then she wouldn't be in this mess.' 'I know it's my fault,' the white knight said. 'Which is why I have to save her. So get out of my way.' The black squire shook his head, refusing to stand down. The white knight growled in frustration and, raising his sword, he rushed toward the black squire. The two old rivals fought for awhile and, although the black squire had the advantage early on, as the white knight's thoughts flashed back to the princess his eyes hardened. He had found his resolve and, filled with new determination, he swung his sword furiously. The black squire was completely overwhelmed by the attack and he fell to the white knight. And as he fell, he made an unexpected request of the white knight. 'Please save her. Don't let the princess die.' And with that he sighed and closed his eyes."

"Is he dead?" Shiro asked quickly.

"No little one," Kyouraku said. "The black squire was gravely injured by the white knight's attack but he didn't die."

Shiro nodded, a slightly relieved look in his blue-green eyes.

"Once the black squire had been defeated the white knight continued on his way toward the highest tower. The battle with the black squire had strengthened his determination to rescue the princess and his pace quickened. His path was unobstructed for awhile and then it happened. A tall man suddenly appeared in front of him as if out of nowhere. The white knight took a few steps back and once again drew his sword from it's sheath. 'Who are you?' he demanded. 'I am the captain of the guard,' the man replied, a look of excitment on his face. 'And I can't remember the last time someone actually managed to breach the barrier wall. In fact I don't think it's ever happened. Fighting you may just prove worth my time. It's been so long since I've had a worthy opponant.' The white knight stood waiting for the captain to attack however the man just stood staring at him. 'Tell you what,' the captain said, pulling back his shirt. 'I'll give you the first strike.' The white knight's eyes widened and then narrowed. 'I'm not attacking a man who hasn't attacked me. Just get out of my way.' The captain stared at the white knight with a condescending look, which infuriated the young man. Angered he ran toward the captain, his sword held up. The white knight swung his sword however as he rushed by he didn't feel his sword make contact with flesh. He turned and gazed over at the captain, who was staring at him with a disappointed look in his eyes. 'That was pathetic," the captain said. 'You have to attack me like you mean it, otherwise you'll never be able to do any damage.' "

Head Captain Ukitake couldn't help but smile at the way his friend was telling the story of Ichigo's fight with the late Captain of Squad Eleven, Kenpachi Zaraki. This was indeed entertaining and Ukitake was glad that he'd decided to stick around.

"The captain's comments angered the white knight however no matter how much he attacked he found himself unable to land a blow. After awhile the captain of the guard began to grow frustrated with the white knight's lack of skill. He sighed. 'Here I thought I'd finally found a worthy opponant but apparently I was wrong.' With that the captain attacked the knight, stabbing him with his sword and knocking him to the ground."

Shiro gasped.

Captain Kyouraku smiled down at the kid. "It's okay Shiro As the white knight lay on the ground his thoughts flashed once more to the princess before his vision went black. Frustrated by the weak fight, and figuring that the white knight would be dead soon, the captain of the guard turned and began to walk away. 'Wait.' The captain of the guard paused as the voice of the white knight called out to him. Turning he saw that the young man was once again on his feet, his sword held up and a fire burning in his eyes. As soon as the captain of the guard turned to face him the white knight attacked and after a fierce battle the captain of the guard also fell at his hands."

"I knew he couldn't die!" Shiro exclaimed.

"Hmm," Kyouraku said. "Once the captain of the guard was out of the way the white knight once again turned his attention toward the highest tower however to his horror he saw the princess being led away from the tower, her hands bound and surrounded by guards. 'Oh no,' the white knight thought to himself as he watched this sight unfold before his horrified gaze. 'I have to hurry. I'm almost out of time.' The white knight quickened his pace and changed directions, this time making his way toward the execution grounds. The white knight made it just in time to stop the princess' execution however he found himself once again facing off against the black knight. 'I don't know how you survived my attack the last time,' the black knight said, gazing over at the white knight in disdain. 'But I promise it won't happen again. This time you'll die by my hands and then the princess' execution will be carried out.' The white knight growled low in his throat. 'There's no way I'm going to allow you to harm the princess! You'll have to go through me first!' 'I believe that's what I just said I intended to do,' the black knight said in an obnoxious tone, drawing his sword and pointing it toward the white knight. The black knight attacked however the white knight easily blocked the blow. His previous battles had strengthened him and taught him how to fight more effectively and he planned to use both of these to his advantage. His eyes glowed menacingly as he attacked the black knight. The two of them fought for awhile, neither gaining the upper hand, however it was then that the white knight decided to unleash his secret weapon. He swung his sword and a flash of light erupted from the tip, traveling toward the black knight. Unable to block the attack the black knight fell. Shocked by the fact that the invader had defeated their greatest warrior the other people who had been there to witness the princess' execution merely watched as the two of them left the execution grounds. And they lived happily ever after. . . more or less. The end."

Shiro smiled up at the Squad Eight Captain. "That was great! Thank you!"

Kyouraku once again ruffled the young boy's hair. "You're welcome little one."

"Hey," a new voice suddenly called out. "What's going on over there?"

Ukitake, Kyouraku and Nanao all glanced toward the voice and watched as Ichigo walked toward them. The Squad Five Captain came to a stop a few feet away from the spot where they were all sitting under the tree and gazed down at them, a questioning look in his brown eyes.

"Shunsui was just telling us all a story," Ukitake said with a chuckle. "And I must say it was highly entertaining. It's too bad you missed it Ichigo."

Ichigo shook his head, slightly worried about what kind of story the Squad Eight Captain had been telling. "It had better not have been anything inappropriate."

"Not at all," Kyouraku said with a grin.

"Well," Ichigo said, not sounding completely convinced. "Come on Shiro. Your mother sent me to get you. It's time to go home."

"Okay," Shiro said, jumping to his feet and grasping his father's hand. "You wanna hear the story Uncle Shunsui told me?"

"Sure," Ichigo said as he and his son turned to leave, although there was a slight note of concern hidden in his tone. "You can tell me all about it on the way home."

"Bye," Shiro said, turning to face the group.

"Bye Shiro-chan," Ukitake called out as the little boy turned and followed his father across the Squad Eight courtyard. Once they were out of sight Ukitake turned back to his best friend. "You'd better hope they get some distance away before Shiro gets too far into that story or else you've had it."

Kyouraku shrugged, not looking the slightest bit concerned, and then he offered his best friend a rogueish grin. "Did you hear what the kid called me? I'm an uncle while you're a grandpa."

Ukitake smirked, having known as soon as he heard the words come out of Shiro's mouth that his best friend would feel the need to give him a hard time about it. "Maturity is equivalent to age in the eyes of the young. But forget about that. You left Bankai out of the story, as well as a few other things."

"Yea well it was the condensed version," Kyouraku said in his own defense. "And I couldn't figure out how to work in Bankai in a way that wouldn't be obvious so I just left it out."

"I see," Ukitake said, getting slowly to his feet. "Well I guess I should get back to my paperwork since my little distraction has gone home for the day. I'll see you later Shunsui."

Captain Kyouraku waved as his friend turned and walked away and then he turned his gaze toward his vice-captain. "What are you thinking about my little Nanao-chan?"

"I'm **NOT** your little Nanao-chan!" the vice-captain snapped. Then her voice softened. "I was just thinking about how everyone in the Seireitei goes out of their way to make that one little boy happy."

Kyouraku nodded, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Everyone has a soft spot where Shiro is concerned. This child is being given the opportunity to experience the kind of childhood _that_ child was denied by fate."

Nanao nodded, knowing instantly that her captain was referring to the late Captain Hitsugaya, who had been mature beyond his years.

* * *

As Ichigo led the way toward the Senkaimon, with his small son tagging along at his side, he listened as Shiro quickly relayed the story that he'd been told earlier by Captain Kyouraku and he had to resist the urge to go back and give the Squad Eight Captain a piece of his mind. However he did intend to have a word with the man the next time he saw him.

When they arrived back home father and son climbed the stairs up from the basement and found Rukia sitting in the den, a book held up in front of her. She put the book down on the arm of the sofa when she heard them enter the room and she smiled over at his son. "Hey Shiro-chan, welcome home."

Shiro ran over to his mother and gave her a hug.

Rukia wrapped her arms around her son and then gazed up at her husband. "What are you looking so angry about?"

"Ask your son to tell you the new story he learned today," Ichigo replied before he turned and made his way upstairs.

"It's a cool story Mom!" Shiro exclaimed, gazing up at his mother with an excited look in his eyes. "You wanna hear it?"

Rukia nodded and lifted her son into her lap.

* * *

Once Shiro had finished his story Rukia left him playing in the floor and made her way upstairs. She found Ichigo in their office, pretending to do paperwork, and she couldn't help but smile as she sat down in her chair and moved it so that she was facing his desk.

"I don't see why you're so upset," Rukia said, a soft smile on her face. "I thought it was a cute story."

"You would," Ichigo grumbled, refusing to look at his wife as he shuffled through his paperwork as though he had a purpose.

"Come on," Rukia persisted. "You were the white knight, the hero of the story. What's not to like?" Getting to her feet Rukia walked over and leaned over her husband, wrapping her arms around his neck. "My hero."

This caused Ichigo to crack a small smile and he whispered, "You'll always be my princess."

Rukia blushed slightly and then leaned over and gave her husband a kiss.

A/N- Hope you enjoyed this chapter which is once again dedicated to lieutenant-taijiya. Until the next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	10. A Party for Shiro

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach however the plot for this story, as well as the OCs are mine.

Chapter Ten- A Party for Shiro

Nearly a year had passed since Ichigo and Rukia had taken in the young white-haired orphan called Shiro and during that time the child had changed from a silent child who was afraid of everyone to a happy and outgoing little boy. The change was nothing short of miraculous to those who'd known Shiro from the beginning and most credited the change in the boy's attitude to his parents but Ichigo and Rukia knew that was not the case. Although their actions had no doubt contributed to the child's transformation both knew that it would not have came about without the help of everyone who cared for Shiro, both in the Seireitei and in the world of the living.

* * *

"So," Isshin said one evening after he'd had dinner with Ichigo and his small family. Shiro had been put to bed for the night and Isshin was having a cup of coffee with his son and his wife. "It's been nearly a year since you guys adopted Shiro. When exactly are you planning to celebrate his birthday?"

Both Ichigo and Rukia looked taken aback by this question and they stared at Isshin in confusion.

"How can we celebrate his birthday Dad?" Ichigo asked once he'd recovered somewhat. "We don't exactly know when it is."

Rukia nodded. "We've tried asking Shiro but he absolutely refuses to speak of anything from his life before we took him in. He just lowers his eyes and shakes his head. There's something in his past that he doesn't seem to want to remember."

"That's not really a problem," Isshin said calmly. "Just use the day you adopted him as his birthday. After all he can't have been much more than three at the time. In fact he was actually smaller than most normal three year olds so he might have been younger."

The two younger Kurosakis thought about his words in silence for a few moments.

"Come on," Isshin persisted. "Your son needs a birthday, what's it matter if the date's a couple of months off one way or the other?"

"I guess it doesn't," Rukia said finally. "Alright then, from now on we'll celebrate the day we adopted Shiro-chan as his birthday."

"Excellent," Isshin said. "And in that case you'd best start planning a party cause your son's birthday is next week."

Rukia's eyes widened and Ichigo said, "But we don't know anything about planning a party."

"That's okay," Isshin said with a smile. "Just leave everything to me and don't make any plans for next Friday. And Ichigo, you should probably call Uryu and tell him that he and his family have plans for next Friday."

"Okay," Ichigo said slowly, thinking that they might have just made a huge mistake.

"Well now that that's been decided I should probably be going." Isshin got to his feet and made his way toward the front door, followed closely behind by Ichigo and Rukia.

"Dad," Ichigo said as he opened the door for Isshin. "Please don't go overboard with this whole party thing. Try and keep it small, after all he's only four."

Isshin smiled. "Just leave everything to me Ichigo. I'll give you guys a call next Thursday to talk about the arrangements. Until then, you guys be careful and try and stay out of trouble." And, after issuing this last piece of advice, Isshin gave each of them a quick hug and then left the house, whistling softly to himself as he walked down the street.

"Well he's sure happy," Rukia commented as Ichigo closed the door.

"I know," Ichigo said as he and Rukia made their way back into the den. "Too happy. I'm scared."

"Oh come on," Rukia said. "He's just planning a party for a little boy. How out of hand could he get?"

"You don't know my dad like I do," Ichigo said with a shudder. "But there's no point in worrying about it now. Guess I'll go call Uryu and inform him that my dad made plans for him next Friday. He'll love that." And with a sigh Ichigo got to his feet and made his way upstairs to the bedroom that he and his wife shared. Sitting down on the edge of the bed he picked up the receiver and quickly dialed Uryu's number, listening to the phone ring.

"Hello. . ."

Ichigo would have known, merely from the cheery voice, even if the voice hadn't been obviously female, that Uryu hadn't been the one to answer the phone. Uryu couldn't pull off cheery, he just didn't have it in him. "Hey Orihime. How are you?"

"Ichigo! I'm fine thanks. How about you?"

"Can't complain. Listen, how would you guys like to come to a party next week? Dad's throwing a birthday party for Shiro and I'm sure the little guy will be happier if his best friend's there."

"That sounds like fun Ichigo. We'll be there."

"Great. I'll call you as soon as I know the details okay?"

" 'Kay."

"Well that's all I needed. Guess I'll talk to you guys later."

"Alright. Bye Ichigo."

"Bye."

Ichigo hung up the phone and then made his way back downstairs. Rukia smiled at her husband as he rejoined her in the den. "So how did Uryu take the news?"

"I don't know," Ichigo said with a smirk. "Remind me to ask Orihime about that later would you?"

Rukia's eyes immediately shone with understanding and amusement. "That's cheating Ichigo."

"Maybe," Ichigo said with a shrug, not sounding the least bit apologetic or remorseful. "But the fact remains that I just don't care."

* * *

Even though it was late when he left his son's house Isshin didn't immediately go back to his house. Instead he made his way across town to a small shop. Despite the lateness of the hour lights burned in the shop's small windows and Isshin knocked on the door.

A few minutes passed and then the door slid open to reveal a man wearing a green and white striped hat. As soon as the man's gaze fell upon Isshin he smiled broadly. "Kurosaki!"

"Hey Kisuke," Isshin said as Urahara stepped aside and motioned for him to step inside the shop.

"So what brings you to my humble little shop this evening Kurosaki?" Urahara asked his long time friend as he led the way down the hall to a small room in the back of the shop.

"I have a request," Isshin replied as he and Urahara sat down at a small table. "I need to go to Soul Society so can I use your Senkaimon?"

Urahara found this request to be rather unusual. "Doesn't your son have a permanent Senkaimon at his place now?"

"He does," Isshin said with a nod. "But I'd rather he not know about this particular trip."

That statement served to arouse Urahara's curiosity. "And why exactly do you want to keep it a secret?"

"I'm planning a party for Toushirou," Isshin explained. "And Ichigo told me not to go overboard."

Urahara nodded, a knowing look in his eyes. "Let me guess; you have no intention of honoring that request."

Isshin shrugged. "He's my first grandchild. What can I say?"

Urahara grinned. "Well since your son asked you to keep the party small I suppose I really should deny your request but. . . I thoroughly enjoy messing with Ichigo so feel free. You know where it is and you know how to use it."

"Thanks," Isshin said, smiling broadly and getting to his feet.

"No problem," Urahara said with a wave.

Isshin quickly made his way down to the hidden training facility underneath the shop and used his long suppressed reiatsu to activate the Senkaimon and open a portal to Soul Society. Stepping through the gate Isshin made his way to Soul Society, a place he hadn't visited since his son's wedding to Rukia.

Isshin knew that he would need some help in order to throw the kind of party that he wanted for Shiro and right off the top of his head there were two people that he could think of who would most likely be more than willing to help. The Captain of Squad Ten and the Captain of Squad Eight. Isshin made up his mind to ask the two Shinigami for help however before he got to that point the former Captain of Squad Six made his way to the Squad One barracks.

As he was walking across the Seireitei, lost in thought, Isshin heard a voice call out angrily, "Where the hell do you think you're going Ryoka?!"

Isshin paused and glanced over his shoulder to see a random guard running toward him, his sword drawn. Isshin sighed as he turned to face the Shinigami whom he did not know. "Ryoka? Honestly how many Ryoka do you know who come fully equipped with a shihakusho, not to mention a captain's coat?"

That question seemed to throw off the guard and he stared at Isshin in confusion.

"My name is Isshin Kurosaki."

That statement served to remedy any confusion and the guard snapped to attention. "Would you be any relation to the Squad Five Captain?"

Isshin nodded. "That would be my son."

"Please sir continue with whatever you were doing." This said, the guard turned around and dashed off, leaving Isshin to stare at his retreating back, a grin on his face. Chuckling softly to himself Isshin turned and continued on his way toward Squad One.

When he arrived at the Squad One barracks Isshin knocked lightly on the door.

"Enter," a voice called out from within.

Isshin slid the door open and stepped inside the office. After closing the door behind himself Isshin turned and walked across the room to the spot in the center where Head Captain Ukitake was seated on a sofa, drinking tea.

"Isshin Kurosaki," Ukitake said in a quiet voice. "And to what do I owe this honor?"

"I came to ask a favor," Isshin replied.

"And what might that be?" Ukitake asked, his curiosity raised.

"I want to throw a birthday party for Toushirou," Isshin replied, unable to keep a small smile from appearing on his face. "And I came to ask your permission to have it here in the Seireitei."

"Of course you can," Ukitake said without a moment's hesitation. "But why aren't Ichigo and Rukia here with you?"

"They've left me in charge of the planning," Isshin said. "Apparently the two of them don't know anything about throwing a party for a child and so I volunteered for the job. They agreed, with the condition that I keep it simple."

Ukitake nodded. "Which you have no intention of doing right?"

Isshin grinned roguishly. "You know me too well Jyuushirou."

"Well," Ukitake said. "You can hold the party in the Squad Five barracks under the condition that when Ichigo gets angry over the fact that this party is going to be way beyond simple you agree to take full responsibility."

"Agreed." Isshin said, knowing that he'd be the one Ichigo blamed regardless of what he said. "Thank you Ukitake."

"Don't mention it," Head Captain Ukitake said. "So, I'm invited to the party right?"

"Of course," Isshin said. "I couldn't throw a party for Shiro and not invite his Grandpa Ukitake."

Ukitake smiled.

"Well I should probably go and recruit some help for this," Isshin said. "I'll see you later Ukitake."

With that Isshin turned and left the Head Captain's office. After leaving Squad One Isshin quickly made his way across the Seireitei to the Squad Eight barracks, where he hoped to recruit the help of Captain Kyouraku. And, much to his surprise, when he entered the Squad Eight office he found not only Captain Kyouraku but Captain Matsumoto as well.

"Well look who's here," Captain Kyouraku said slowly, holding up his cup of sake. "Former Captain of Squad Six, Isshin Kurosaki."

"Hello Shunsui," Isshin said, sitting down in the floor with the two captains. "And Rangiku. Just the people I wanted to see."

"What do you want with us?" Matsumoto asked.

"I'm throwing a birthday party for Shiro on Friday," Isshin explained. "And I was really hoping that the two of you could be convinced to help me out with the planning."

"Sure," Matsumoto exclaimed almost instantly. "That sounds like fun."

Kyouraku nodded. "Count me in."

"Just one thing guys," Isshin said. "Please keep in mind that you're planning a party for a four year old. Keep it clean please."

"I can't believe that you don't trust us Isshin," Kyouraku said.

"Ha ha," Isshin said. "You seem to be forgetting one little fact. I know you guys."

* * *

Rukia and Ichigo were sitting on the sofa in the living room, along with Orihime and Uryu, while their children played together in the floor however their conversation was interrupted when they heard a knock on the door. Ichigo got to his feet and walked over to the front door, which he opened to reveal his father.

"Hey dad," Ichigo said. "We were beginning to think that you'd forgotten about this party that you were supposed to be throwing."

"Nonsense," Isshin said as he stepped inside his son's house. "I would never do that. Now gather everyone up and come on or else we're going to be late."

"Excuse me?" Ichigo snapped, glaring at his father. There was somthing about his dad's tone that irritated him. Well, okay his dad usually irritated him however this time it was more than the usual amount of irritation. "You're the one who's late and now you're rushing us. There's something seriously wrong with this picture."

"Let's go Ichigo," Isshin said, completely ignoring his son's angry tone. "You can be mad at me later. We really don't have time for it right now."

Ichigo growled under his breath however he chose not to further comment and instead turned and made his way back into the den. "Come on guys," he said to the adults. "Dad says we have to hurry or we're going to be late."

Uryu rolled his eyes as Rukia and Orihime got to their feet and took their children by the hands. "So where exactly are we going?" the Quincy asked as they all headed toward the door.

"It's a secret," was all that Isshin would say.

"A secret he says," Ichigo muttered to himself as they all followed his dad out of the house.

Isshin led the way across town to a certain small shop that everyone in the group was familiar with. As they neared Urahara's shop Ichigo ran to catch up with his dad, who was still the leader of their rather unusual little parade. "Dad," he said as he fell into step beside his father. "What exactly is going on? Please don't tell me that we're having my son's birthday party in Urahara's basement?"

"Of course not," Isshin said with a small laugh.

"Good because I. . ." Ichigo paused at this point as the true meaning of this statement came to light. "No. No, no, no. Absolutely not!"

"Ichigo what is your problem?" Uryu demanded.

"He's taking us to Soul Society," Ichigo told his friend/rival.

"WHAT?!" Uryu exclaimed.

"Calm down," Rukia and Orihime said in one voice.

Both husbands ceased their complaints however it was obvious by the surly looks that they both wore that their displeasure with the situation had not lessened. They just knew better than to complain further out loud.

Isshin chuckled softly to himself as he slid the shop door open.

"Whoa dad," Ichigo said as his dad just walked right in to the shop. "Aren't you even going to knock?"

Isshin shook his head. "No point. No one's here."

The bad feeling in the pit of Ichigo's stomach worsened as his dad led them down to the secret training facility that Urahara had hidden under his shop. Once there Isshin used his reiatsu to open the Senkaimon that would take them all to Soul Society.

"Mom," Shiro said, pulling on his mother's sleeve. "Why are we going to Soul Society?"

Rukia smiled down at the child. "You'll see sweetie. Just be patient."

Shiro sighed.

When the small group arrived in the Seireitei the first thing Ichigo noticed was that the place looked far less active than usual. "This is bad," he thought to himself as his dad led the way across the Seireitei. "Very, very bad. Dad, where exactly are you taking us?"

"You'll see," Isshin said.

Ichigo sighed, in exactly the same manner that his son had earlier.

Isshin led the way to the unused Squad Five barracks and when they arrived he walked over to the spot where Rukia and Shiro stood and offered his young grandson his hand. "Come here for a minute Shiro-chan. Grandpa has something to show you."

Glancing up at his mom briefly Shiro took his grandfather's hand. Isshin scooped the child up into his arms and then slid the door of the barracks open. Once inside Isshin led the way down the hall to the meeting room where Ichigo and Rukia's wedding had been held and when he opened the door they saw that the room was completely black.

"Hmm," Isshin said. "It's awfully dark in here. Let's turn on the lights shall we Shiro-chan?"

Isshin flipped on the lights and Shiro jumped slightly as people jumped up and yelled, "Surprise!"

Isshin placed his grandson on the floor and Shiro stared around at the brightly decorated room in awe. The child didn't seem to know what to make of the situation. His gaze shifted from the balloons that were tied in bunches around the room, to a huge pile of brightly wrapped gifts stacked on a table, and then to the faces of his family and friends. There was a questioning look in his blue-green eyes as he looked back at his mom.

Rukia quickly walked over to the child and wrapped her arms around him in a comforting hug. "Happy birthday Shiro-chan. This party is for you."

Shiro smiled softly up at his mother before he was snatched up by Matsumoto. "Come on kiddo, let's look around."

"Did you see the look on his face?" Rukia asked, turning to face Ichigo. "He was confused. It's like he's never had a birthday party before."

"Maybe he hasn't," Ichigo said.

Rukia shook her head, thinking to herself that there was definitely something wrong with this situation. "Well I intend to make sure that he has more fun today than he's had in his life." And with that Rukia walked off toward the spot where Matsumoto and Hinamori were standing with her son.

Ichigo turned to face his dad. "Thanks for his dad."

Isshin nodded, completely taken by surprise by this thank you from his son. It was the last thing that he'd expected to hear from Ichigo.

* * *

For the next hour the group of Shinigami, along with Uryu, Orihime and Kasumi, played a wide variety of party games most of which the adults thought were beyond embarrassing but played none the less to humor the two small children. Then Rukia walked over and picked her small son up and carried him over to a table where a huge cake had been placed. The cake was decorated with an ice blue dragon and had four candles in the shape of snowflakes spread out across it.

Ichigo walked over and lit the candles while the room's inhabitants sang to the small boy that Rukia held in her arms. Then, when the song had been completed, Rukia whispered in her son's ear, "Now blow out the candles Shiro-chan and make a wish."

Shiro leaned forward in his mother's arms and, with one deep breath, blew out all four of the candles.

There was applause throughout the room as the flames on the tips of the candles were extinguished and then Isshin stepped forward to cut the cake. Isshin served the cake and then, once everyone had finished eating, Rukia carried Shiro over to the pile of gifts that was stacked on top of a second table.

"Look Shiro-chan," she said softly as she placed the child down on his own two feet in front of the enormous stack of gifts. "These are all for you."

Shiro stared up at the brightly wrapped boxes, his eyes wide.

"Here Shiro-chan," Matsumoto said, offering the child a box. "Open this one."

Shiro took the box from Matsumoto and sat down on the floor. He pulled off the paper, lifted the top off the box and pulled out a small, white coat. Everyone in the room, with the exception of Ichigo, began to laugh when they realized what the gift was.

"That's not funny Rangiku," Ichigo growled as Rukia placed the white coat on her son, the number ten on the back irritating Ichigo to no end.

"Really?" Matsumoto said. "I thought it was hilarious myself."

"I told you Matsumoto," Ukitake said with a laugh. "You can't pawn Squad Ten off on a four year old."

"Come on Head Captain Ukitake," Matsumoto said, a slightly whiny quality in her voice. "He could probably do the paperwork better than I do already."

"Practise," Ukitake said.

* * *

The party lasted for several hours but Rukia decided that they should probably call it quits when both Shiro and Kasumi fell asleep in the floor amidst the huge pile of discarded wrapping paper. She gently picked up her son, while Orihime collected her daughter, and then the two mothers turned to face their husbands.

"I think they've had enough for today," Rukia said softly.

Ichigo nodded. "I think you're right."

Rukia turned to address the crowd of people who were assembled in the Squad Five conference room. "Thank you all for this."

They all nodded as the visitors from the world of the living turned and left the room.

A/N- Hope you enjoyed this latest installment of Shiro-chan's story. Until the next time, this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	11. Hollow Bait

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach. Never have and never will

A/N- Alright, for those of you who love this story for it's obnoxious cuteness it may lose some of it's appeal from this point on although I sincerely hope that is not the case. Consider everything that has happened up to this point to be the back story. Now we're going to flash forward four years and the real story is going to begin. Hope you enjoy. Please read and review.

Chapter Eleven -Hollow Bait

Shiro and Kasumi were on their way to school and Kasumi was mad at her best friend because he'd arrived at her house behind schedule and now the two of them were going to be late for school. This would completely ruin Kasumi's perfect record and she was not happy about it. She periodically glared over at Shiro as they hurried toward school, just to reiterate the fact that she was mad at him.

"Would you stop looking at me like that?" Shiro snapped after she glared at him for the fifth time. "I told you I was sorry, what more do you want from me?"

"Being sorry isn't going to keep us out of trouble Toushirou," Kasumi stated, placing her hands on her hips and focusing an even more intense glare in his direction.

Shiro shook his head however he had enough sense not to say anything further. She'd called him by his full, first name, which she almost never did and was a sure sign that she was seriously mad at him. He was in enough trouble and did not need to cause more by further comment however more trouble was exactly what was coming for the young white haired boy. The two kids were about halfway to school when they heard a familiar, bone chilling roar issuing from behind them. Whirling around their eyes widened as they saw a couple of huge Hollow approaching them.

"Oh crap," Kasumi mouthed as she stared up at the Hollow.

"Run," Shiro commanded, turning to his friend.

"What do you mean run?" Kasumi snapped.

"Just what it sounds like," Shiro said, raising his voice in the hopes of getting his point across. "Run!"

Shaking her head Kasumi turned to run however she'd only gone a few steps when she realized that Shiro wasn't following her. Whirling back around she saw that her friend had his arms raised and was muttering something, although she couldn't understand what he was saying. However her unspoken question was answered a few seconds later when a burst of reiatsu erupted from Shiro's hand.

"He's using kidou," Kasumi whispered, her eyes wide in disbelief. "In an actual battle. This could be bad."

Shiro watched as his attack flew toward the Hollow that was closest to him, striking it in the center of its mask. The Hollow screamed in rage a second before it disintegrated. _"One down," _Shiro thought to himself as he turned toward the larger of the two Hollow.

_"This one might be a little more difficult," _the boy thought as he prepared for another attack. However before he had the chance to fire another kidou blast his view of the Hollow was obstructed by a flash of white. His gaze shifted upward and Shiro groaned as he saw the number five on the back of his dad's captain's coat. _"This is bad. Honestly, I think I stood a better chance against the Hollow."_

Ichigo swung his zanpaktou, "Getsuga Tenshou!"

A burst of energy erupted from the tip of Zangetsu and completely obliterated the Hollow. Replacing his sword, Ichigo turned to face his son. "What exactly did you think you were doing?"

"Getting attacked by Hollow," Shiro stated matter-of-factly.

"You were planning to fight weren't you?" Ichigo said, choosing to ignore his son's smart aleck reply.

_"He didn't see me destroy the first one," _Shiro thought to himself. Well that was one thing to be thankful for. Thinking quickly Shiro said, "No Dad, I wasn't going to fight. I had every intention of running away."

"Sure you did," Ichigo said, shaking his head and not sounding at all convinced. "Well you and Kasumi had better get to school."

"This little incident with the Hollow is going to make us late," Shiro said, gazing up at his dad. "So can you write us a note so we don't get into trouble?"

"I guess," Ichigo said with a sigh. "Give me a piece of paper and a pencil."

Shiro quickly removed the messenger bag that was slung across his shoulder and, reaching inside, he pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil. He handed them to his dad and Ichigo quickly wrote the two kids a note excusing their tardiness. "Here," he said, handing the piece of paper to his son. "Now go."

Taking the piece of paper from his dad Shiro's eyes quickly scanned the note and he frowned up at Ichigo, a look of complete and utter disbelief on his face. "Dad, this isn't going to work."

"Why not?" Ichigo demanded.

"Please excuse Toushirou Kurosaki and Kasumi Ishida for being late to class because I said so. Ichigo Kurosaki." Shiro rolled his eyes as Kasumi started laughing. "You don't see the problem with this?"

Ichigo shrugged. "Fine. You write the note and I'll sign it."

Shaking his head Shiro pulled another piece of paper from his messenger bag, quickly wrote an acceptable excuse and then handed it to his dad to sign. Without even reading what Shiro had written, Ichigo quickly signed the paper and handed it back to his son. "Better?"

Shiro nodded and, slinging his bag back across his back, he rejoined Kasumi and the pair made their way toward school. Once they were far enough away from Ichigo so that they couldn't be overheard, Shiro turned a smug look to his best friend and held up the letter he'd gotten from his dad in triumph. "You can't be mad at me now."

Kasumi rolled her eyes. "Quit trying to make it sound like you planned all of this out from the start Hollow bait."

Shiro's eyes narrowed and he glared at his best friend. "What did you just call me?"

"Hollow bait," Kasumi repeated, gazing over at Shiro without batting an eye. "And you are. Every time we go somewhere together we get attacked. That isn't normal and it doesn't happen to me except when I'm with you. Therefore it has to be your fault."

Shiro growled low in his throat but said nothing.

* * *

Once he'd rescued his son and Uryu's daughter from the Hollow Ichigo made his way back home. He'd rushed out without so much as a word to Rukia and when he reentered the office she gazed up at him with a questioning look in her eyes. "I had to go and save your son from a Hollow," Ichigo told her as he sat back down at his desk. "Which should excuse me from this paperwork."

"Nice try but no," Rukia said, shaking her head. "And you know we're really going to have to do something about his reiatsu. He's turned into a regular Hollow magnet."

"I know," Ichigo said. "But what can we do?"

"I have an idea," Rukia told her husband. "We're taking a trip to Soul Society when Shiro gets home from school this afternoon."

Ichigo groaned, not happy about the prospect, however he knew enough not to complain. Complaints never helped and were just a waste of time and energy. With a sigh the Squad Five Captain picked up his pencil and began once again working on the hated paperwork. _"Why the hell did I take this job in the first place?"_

* * *

When school was dismissed for the day Shiro and Kasumi met at the gate like they always did and walked home together. Thankfully for Shiro his friend was in a better mood now and she smiled as he approached her. "So how was your day Hollow bait?"

Shiro's eyes narrowed. "Stop calling me that!"

Kasumi smirked.

"I shouldn't have asked Dad to write us an excuse," Shiro muttered as he and Kasumi began walking toward home. "I should have just let you get into trouble."

"You'd have gotten into trouble too Toushirou," Kasumi snapped, glaring at her friend.

"Yea," Shiro said with a nod. "The difference being, I couldn't care less."

"Of course not," Kasumi said, rolling her eyes. "Because you're used to it."

"Hmm."

The walk home was uneventful and the two children parted ways at the Ishida residence and Shiro made his way home by himself. And as he walked, he noticed a figure dressed in black leaping from roof top to roof top overhead. The boy growled low in his throat. _"They sent Tomori to make sure that nothing happened? Like he'd be able to stop a Hollow from killing me, the guy's a complete wuss. I'd probably have to save him."_

Shiro briefly debated running from his unwanted escort however in the end he decided not to. He simply picked up the pace and jogged to his house, anxious to escape the gaze of the man whom he so heartily disliked. Reaching his house Shiro wrenched open the front door and ran inside, slamming the door behind himself.

"Is that you Shiro-chan?" his mom called out from the living room.

"Yea it's me."

"Can you come in here for a minute please?"

"Yea." Vaguely wondering whether he'd done something wrong, and yet unable to think of anything, Shiro walked into the living room, where he found his parents wearing their shihakushos and seated on the sofa. _"Trip to Soul Society," _the boy thought to himself as he walked across the room.

Rukia smiled at her son as he came to a stop in front of her. "Take your things upstairs Shiro-chan and then come straight back here. We have some urgent business to take care of in Soul Society."

Shiro nodded, turned and dashed up the stairs. The boy stowed his messenger bag next to the desk in his room and then made his way back down to the living room. His parents got to their feet as soon as he reentered the room and Ichigo said, "Let's go."

Ichigo led the way down to the Senkaimon and together the small family traveled to Soul Society. Once they were there Shiro was expecting to go to Squad One however he was surprised when his dad led the way across the Seireitei to the Shinigami Academy.

_"What in the world are we doing here?" _Shiro thought to himself.

They arrived at the Academy just as class was ending and Rukia turned to her husband and son, "I'll be back in a few minutes. You two just hang out here." And with that she turned and entered the building.

"Dad, exactly what are we doing here?"

"You'll see," Ichigo replied.

Shiro shrugged and leaned against the building. If his dad didn't want to tell him what was going on that was okay. He could wait.

A few minutes later Rukia emerged from the building and she was followed a few steps back by Hinamori. The two women walked over to the spot where Ichigo and Shiro were waiting and Hinamori smiled down at the small boy. "I hear you had a bit of a scare this morning Shiro-chan."

Shiro was momentarily confused by this statement but then he remembered. _"Oh yea the Hollow."_ The boy quickly forced a relieved look on his face. "Yea. Kasumi and I were attacked on our way to school this morning. It's a good thing Dad showed up when he did or it would have been bad."

Ichigo made a noise like he was clearing his throat however he made no comment.

"Shiro," Rukia said, gazing down at her son. "I want you to go with Momo, she's going to teach you something that will keep the Hollow from constantly attacking you."

"Okay," Shiro said with a shrug.

"Let's go Shiro-chan."

Shiro fell into step behind Hinamori, who led him across the Seireitei to the training grounds. Once they were there Hinamori turned to face the young boy. "I'm going to teach you an advanced barrier kidou Shiro-chan. It's kind of complicated but if you learn it then you'll be able to hide your reiatsu from detection. Shall we give it a try?"

Shiro nodded. She'd said that the kidou was complicated and Shiro was always up for a challenge however as Hinamori demonstrated the barrier kidou Shiro soon realized that its complexity had been greatly exaggerated. It only took him two attempts to perform the technique and after about fifteen minutes of practice he'd completely mastered it.

Hinamori stared down at the child in wide-eyed amazement. No way should the boy have been able to master such an advanced kidou in such a short amount of time. She had students at the Academy who couldn't pull it off. This was taking prodigy to a whole new level. _"This is not normal. What exactly is he?"_

Shiro grinned, enjoying the look of shock on Hinamori's face. He'd been learning kidou for years although none of the adults were aware of this fact. Shiro had discovered that he could mimic their techniques after watching them and since then he'd taken full advantage of this knowledge. He had a wide range of kidou attacks, although for obvious reasons Kasumi was the only one who'd ever seen him perform any of them. He got the feeling that his parents, especially his dad, wouldn't be overly happy if they knew.

"Well I guess we can go back now Shiro-chan," Hinamori said, her expression still somewhat stunned. "You've completely mastered the barrier kidou."

Shiro nodded and together the two of them left the training grounds. Hinamori led the way across the Seireitei to the Squad One office and Shiro smirked as he gazed up at the large number one above the door. _"I knew we'd eventually end up here. It never fails."_

Hinamori knocked lightly on the door and then pushed it open. She stepped inside the office, followed a few steps back by Shiro. Ukitake, Rukia and Ichigo were all seated on the sofa and they all looked up as Hinamori and Shiro walked across the room toward them.

"What's wrong Momo?" Ukitake asked, his gaze shifting back and forth between Hinamori and the young boy who was standing at her side. "Was the barrier kidou too complicated for him?"

Hinamori shook her head. "No sir. He can do it."

Rukia's eyes widened. "Already?"

Hinamori nodded, not even bothering to try and keep the slightly shocked note out of the tone of her voice. "Yep. He performed the kidou on the second try and he had it completely mastered within fifteen minutes. Which is amazing. I have fourth year students who can't pull off this kidou and yet I just taught it to an eight year old in twenty minutes."

Ichigo and Rukia stared over at their son in wide eyed amazement. They had always been aware of his powers however the true extent of said powers were just now coming to light and they were truly frightening.

Rukia was the first to recover from shock. "Thanks for teaching the barrier kidou to him Momo."

"You're welcome," Hinamori said in her quiet voice. "Do you need anything else?"

"No I think that pretty much covers it," Rukia said.

Hinamori nodded. "Guess I'll go home then. Shuhei will be worried if he gets home before I do. Like I'm not capable of taking care of myself."

Rukia smiled. "See you later Momo."

"Bye."

With that Hinamori left the office.

"So Shiro," Ukitake said, gazing intently at the boy. "You mastered the kidou in twenty minutes huh?"

"Something like that," Shiro replied.

"Shiro why don't you go and pay a visit to Rangiku?" Ukitake suggested. "It'll be more fun than hanging around with us and I still have a few matters to discuss with your parents."

"Okay," Shiro said and with that he left the room.

Once the boy had left Ukitake turned to Ichigo and Rukia, a serious look in his eyes. "We're going to have to start his training soon. I know we agreed to wait longer however his powers keep increasing and if we don't teach him how to control them soon it could spell trouble."

To the surprise of both Ukitake and Rukia, Ichigo actually nodded his head in agreement. "You're right."

"What did you just say?" Rukia asked, turning to her husband.

"When I went to save Shiro and Kasumi from the Hollow earlier today Shiro was about to fight it," Ichigo said, a serious look in his brown eyes. "Which means that he already has some measure of control over his powers as well as a reckless disregard for his own safety."

"Hmm," Ukitake said thoughtfully. "Sounds like someone else we know."

Choosing to ignore this comment Ichigo said, "If he can already use his powers on a level that makes him think he can defeat a Hollow then I definitely think he should begin training soon."

"We'll give it a few months and see if knowing the barrier kidou keeps him out of trouble," Ukitake said. "If the Hollow no longer attack him then he'll have no reason to use his powers which may temporarily solve our problem."

Rukia and Ichigo nodded.

* * *

Meanwhile Shiro had arrived at the Squad Ten barracks and, after knocking lightly on the door and receiving no answer, he entered Matsumoto's office. The Captain of Squad Ten was seated at her desk however instead of doing paperwork she had her head resting on her arms and was fast asleep.

"Oh yea Grandpa Ukitake, this is SO exciting," Shiro muttered as he stared at the sleeping Squad Ten Captain.

Not really keen on the idea of hanging around and watching Matsumoto sleep, Shiro turned and left the Squad Ten office, closing the door softly behind him. _"Now what?"_

Having no desire to go back to Squad One Shiro decided to go for a walk around the Seireitei. It wasn't often that he got a chance to explore by himself and the boy decided to take full advantage of this opportunity. As he made his way across the Seireitei Shiro's pace slowed as he saw a tall man dressed in a shihakusho and captain's coat walking toward him.

_"Oh crap," _Shiro thought to himself as the captain came to a stop a few steps away and gazed down at him. "Hello Captain Kuchiki."

Byakuya regarded the boy for a minute before continuing on his way.

Shiro's eyes followed the captain for a few minutes and then he heaved a sigh of relief. _"That guy is just plain creepy. I can't believe he's my mom's brother. I just don't see the family resemblance."_

After his run-in with Byakuya, Shiro decided that he wasn't really in the mood to explore after all. With a sigh the boy made his way back to Squad One and sat down with his back against the building, to wait for his parents to finish their meeting with Head Captain Ukitake.

As he sat outside of the Squad One barracks, Shiro thought about his current situation. _"I'm so weird," _the young boy thought to himself as he pulled his knees up to his chin and wrapped his arms around them protectively. _"Not really a Shinigami and yet I possess all the powers of one."_

Now most of the time Shiro didn't dwell on this fact however at times like these he couldn't help but wonder what had made him the way he was. What strange force of nature had given him powers that, by all rights, he shouldn't even know about let alone possess.

* * *

After a decision had been made concerning Shiro's training, Ichigo and Rukia decided that they should probably collect their child and return home to the world of the living. Bowing to the Head Captain the couple left the Squad One office and, to their surprise, they ran into their son a couple of feet away from the door.

Shiro was leaning up against the wall and he gazed up as he heard their approach.

"What are you doing out here Shiro-chan?" Rukia asked.

"Rangiku was asleep," Shiro replied. "So I came back here but I didn't want to interrupt anything so I sat out here to wait for you."

Ichigo and Rukia were completely shocked by their son's good behavior, which was so uncharacteristic for the boy, however they chose not to comment on it. Instead Rukia smiled down at her son. "Well come on. We're going home."

Shiro nodded and jumped to his feet.

As they walked toward the Senkaimon that would take them back home Ichigo gazed down at his son, a serious expression on his face. "Now make sure you use the barrier kidou that Hinamori taught you Toushirou. It should keep you out of trouble, at least where the Hollow are concerned."

"I understand," Shiro said.

A/N- Hope you enjoyed this installment of Shiro's story. To all of the readers who have been following this story since I began posting it I sincerely hope that you still enjoy the story and aren't disappointed with the recent turn of events. Please review and let me know what you think. Until the next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	12. Boredom Equals Trouble

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach nor am I making any money from this. Just having a little fun.

A/N- I'm glad that I still have some people who are reading this. Your reviews have really helped me with my self confidence issues. Thank you.

Chapter Twelve -Boredom Equals Trouble

Shiro's parents had once again left to battle Hollow and the young boy found himself in the care of his Dad's third seat officer, Ryuu Tomori, whom he heartily disliked. So, soon after his parents had departed, Shiro gave his witless baby-sitter the slip. And all it took for him to lose the third highest ranking officer in Squad Five was a mere flash-step.

_"This is boring," _Shiro thought to himself as he wandered around Karakura Town. He'd killed a couple of Hollow using the kidou that his Mom and Hinamori had taught him, inadvertently since they weren't aware of the fact that he could learn their moves by watching them do it, and even that failed to cure his boredom. Traveling in a circle Shiro made his way back to his house and, after a quick check that no one from Squad Five was around, he went inside. Closing the door behind himself Shiro walked across the room and then made his way down to the basement. Now strictly speaking, Shiro wasn't allowed near the Senkaimon unless he was accompanied by one or both of his parents however he was curious and that curiosity got the better of his judgment. The young boy walked across the room and placed his hand upon the frame of the Senkaimon, imitating what he'd seen his parents do when they opened the portal. Releasing a burst of reiatsu Shiro's eyes widened as the portal to Soul Society opened.

Now that he knew that he was capable of opening the Senkaimon Shiro briefly debated turning around and leaving but since he was going to be in serious trouble for opening the gate, seeing as he had no idea how to close it, Shiro decided that there was really no reason to turn back at this point. His decision made, Shiro stepped through the gate and made his way to Soul Society. Now Shiro had made many trips to Soul Society but this was the first solo trip that he'd ever made.

When the young boy emerged in Soul Society he was spotted almost immediately by a guard dressed in a shihakusho.

"Who are you?" the man demanded, rushing over and glaring at Shiro.

_"Man," _Shiro thought to himself as he gazed up at the guard, whom he'd never seen before and who didn't seem to know who he was. The guy must be new. _"I'd really hoped to get here without being seen."_

"Answer me Ryoka," the guard demanded.

_"Ryoka?" _Shiro thought to himself. _"What's a Ryoka?"_

Shiro's thoughts were put on hold as the guard made a move to grab him. Shaking his head Shiro used his flash-step and vanished.

"What the hell?" the guard exclaimed, glancing around for any sign of the young intruder. "I'd better find that little brat before someone else does and I get into serious trouble."

Having escaped the guard, with absolutely no effort, Shiro made his way across the Seireitei, being careful not to be seen by anyone else. _"And I'm still bored."_

Gazing around Shiro saw the Squad Twelve barracks and he quickly walked toward it. Squad Twelve was the squad in charge of research and development and Shiro was curious. He'd never been inside Squad Twelve and when he entered the barracks he found that the place was deserted.

_"I wonder where everyone is," _Shiro thought to himself as he gazed around. Reaching a door Shiro slid it open and his eyes widened as his gaze swept around the room. The room was filled with computers and Shiro hurried over to them.

_"This could be fun."_

* * *

"I have to find that kid!" Tomori thought to himself in a panic.

Tomori leapt from roof top to roof top, his eyes searching Karakura Town for any sign of his captain's son. The boy was nowhere to be seen and Tomori was starting to get worried. And his concern had less to do with Shiro's safety and more to do with what Captain Kurosaki would do to him if he found out that he'd lost the boy.

"The captain's going to kill me."

Thinking about what his captain would do to him if he found out that Shiro was gone, Tomori was filled with a new determination to find the kid and he doubled his efforts to find him.

* * *

Head Captain Ukitake was sitting at his desk, sorting through all of the late paperwork that Ichigo had given him a few days ago, when he heard a knock on the door.

"Enter," Ukitake called out, wondering who it was that wanted to see him.

The door slid open and the Captain of Squad Twelve, Seiji Yayashi, strode into the room. Ukitake noticed that the man had a furious look on his face which was extremely unusual for the easy going captain. Something bad must have happened.

"What's the problem Captain Yayashi?" Ukitake asked as the captain came to a stop in front of his desk.

The Squad Twelve Captain took a deep breath, in an effort to calm himself before he answered the Head Captain's question. "I was attempting to access the file on the Shinigami who are stationed in the world of the living but I'm completely locked out of the system."

"What?" Ukitake asked.

"Every time I try to log in to my computer, or any of the Squad Twelve computers for that matter, instead of the log in screen this little face pops up and sticks its tongue out at me."

Turning in his chair Ukitake turned on his computer and, instead of the log-in screen, a face popped up and stuck out its tongue. And underneath the face were the words, Nice Try.

"What the. . ." Ukitake turned back to the Squad Twelve Captain, an exasperated expression on his face. "Well it's not just the Squad Twelve computers. It's the entire system."

"Who could have done this?" Captain Yayashi asked.

"No one comes to mind?" Ukitake asked, irritated and yet impressed at the same time. "Child prodigy. . . raised in the world of the living. . ."

Captain Yayashi suddenly had a vision of a young white haired boy. **"TOUSHIROU! HE HACKED OUR SYSTEM!"**

* * *

_"I wish I could have seen their faces when they tried to use their computers. I'll bet it was priceless." _Shiro thought to himself as he made his way back to the Senkaimon. Shiro stepped inside the gate and traveled back home. _"This was really fun," _Shiro thought to himself as he stepped out of the Senkaimon. _"I'll have to do it again sometime."_

**"TOUSHIROU!"**

Shiro froze as he heard the sound of his dad's voice. Turning his head slowly Shiro saw that his dad was standing beside the Senkaimon, glaring over at him with 'the look'.

"Dad! Um, what are you doing here?"

Raising one eyebrow and completely ignoring the boy's question, Ichigo stared down at his son and asked one of his own. "Where's Ryuu?"

Shiro shrugged. "Heck if I know. We were playing hide and seek and apparently he's really bad at it."

Ichigo sighed. Honestly, he really should have learned not to leave Tomori in charge of anything and especially not his son. "Come with me Toushirou. We have to go and find your baby-sitter. I'll deal with the fact that you went to Soul Society without permission later."

Shiro wanted desperately to protest however he knew from the look on his face that his dad wasn't in the mood. With a sigh, Shiro followed Ichigo up the stairs and out of the house. Standing just outside the house Shiro pointed north. "He's that way," the boy said dully. "I can feel his reiatsu."

"Okay," Ichigo said, grateful that his son could feel reiatsu and determined to whom it belonged because he was still really lousy at it. With the exception of Rukia, Shiro, Chad, Orihime and Uryu he was unable to tell whose reiatsu he was feeling. "Come on."

Not at all happy about the situation, but knowing that all hell would break loose if he disobeyed, Shiro reluctantly followed his father. Arriving at the spot where Tomori was standing on a roof top, searching frantically for any sign of Shiro, Ichigo called out, "Did you lose something?"

Tomori jumped at the sound of his Captain's voice. Turning he saw Captain Kurosaki, along with Shiro, standing a few feet away. "Toushirou!" he exclaimed, glaring at the young white-haired boy whom he'd been searching for all day. "How dare you. . ."

Ichigo held up his hands, instantly silencing his subordinate. "My son's disobedience will be dealt with by me. What I want to discuss is why it's so hard for you to keep an eye on one eight year old boy."

Tomori gazed over at his captain. "But sir I. . . he. . ."

Even though he knew that he was in serious trouble for his little excursion into Soul Society, Shiro was highly amused by Tomori's discomfort so it was almost worth it.

"Do you know where I found my son Tomori?" Ichigo asked.

Tomori shook his head. He had no idea where Shiro had gone however he knew it had to be bad to evoke that tone of voice from his captain.

"Well I'll tell you," Ichigo said, glaring at his third seat officer. "He was coming out of the Senkaimon, which means he went to Soul Society. And I'm warning you now, whatever trouble he caused while he was there I'm holding you personally responsible for."

Shiro smirked upon hearing this and, seeing the look on the young boy's face, Tomori's face paled.

"Come on Toushirou," Ichigo said, turning away from his third seat officer. "We're going home."

With a last glance toward Tomori, Shiro followed his dad.

"I'm doomed," Tomori said as he watched his captain and the boy leave.

When Ichigo and Shiro arrived back home they found Rukia standing in the middle of the living room, a black butterfly perched on the tip of her right index finger.

"Ichigo," Rukia said as her husband and son entered the living room.

"I know that look," Ichigo said, gazing from his wife's face to the butterfly that was perched on her finger. "What's the bad news?"

"You've been summoned to Squad One," Rukia told him, a note of confusion evident in her voice. "You and Shiro both."

Upon hearing these words, Ichigo turned and gazed down at his son. "Toushirou, what did you do?"

Shiro shrugged, an innocent expression on his face.

"Uh huh," Ichigo said, not sounding convinced. "Well, come on. Let's go and see what Head Captain Ukitake wants. Then we can come back here and decide on your punishment for having gone to Soul Society in the first place. At least this way I'll know everything I have to punish you for."

Shiro groaned under his breath and followed his dad out of the room.

"I'm coming too," Rukia said as she released the Hell butterfly and followed Ichigo and Shiro out of the room. "I may not have been summoned but I want to know what the hell is going on."

The tone in which she spoke and the language she chose to use made Ichigo decide against arguing with her. He merely shrugged and led the way down the stairs to the Senkaimon, followed closely behind by his family. When they arrived in Soul Society, Ichigo led the way to the Squad One office, where he knocked on the door. "Captain of Squad Five, Ichigo Kurosaki, reporting as ordered."

"Enter."

Judging by the tone of the Head Captain's voice Ichigo knew that this meeting would not be a pleasant one and he shot an annoyed look down at his son before he slid the door open. Ichigo strode across the office, followed closely behind by his wife and son. Head Captain Ukitake watched this familiar scene and although he hadn't summoned Rukia he was in no way surprised to see her.

"So what do you need?" Ichigo asked as he came to a stop in front of the Head Captain.

"Ichigo!" Rukia exclaimed. Honestly was he ever going to learn to show the Head Captain some respect?

Ukitake was used to Ichigo's irreverence however and he immediately got down to business. "Are you aware that I'm no longer able to access my computer Captain Kurosaki?"

"No," Ichigo said with a shrug. "I was not aware of this. Did you forget your password again?"

"No," Ukitake said, massaging his temples with the tips of his fingers. He was feeling the beginnings of a headache forming, the usual result when he was forced to deal with the Squad Five Captain. "And it's not just my computer. No one in the Seireitei can use their computer."

"Okay," Ichigo said, still not getting what this had to do with him. "So why are you telling me? Isn't Urahara your tech support? I hate those damn things in case you didn't already know and this is what you get for modernizing Soul Society."

"I'm telling you this because your son. . ."

At this point the Head Captain's words were cut short when he and Ichigo heard Rukia call out, **"FREEZE!"**

The two men looked away from each other and saw that Shiro had been making his way toward the door. Shiro halted mid-step when Rukia called out to him however and he slowly turned to face his mother, a rather guilty looking grin on his face.

"Toushirou," Rukia said, her voice low and stern which was really unusual for her and immediately got her son's attention. "Did you hack into Grandpa Ukitake's computer?"

"No," Shiro replied without hesitation.

"Toushirou," Ichigo said, his voice full of warning. This tone of voice was fairly normal for him and didn't quite have the same effect on Shiro.

"I didn't," Shiro maintained, gazing up into his dad's face without batting an eye. "I hacked into one of the Squad Twelve computers. If you can even call it hacking. It wasn't exactly hard."

"Toushirou, why did you do it?" Rukia asked.

"I was bored," Shiro replied honestly.

Rukia sighed, shaking her head at her son. "I want you to go over there and fix it. NOW!"

Shiro walked over to Ukitake's desk and within five minutes he had the computer up and running again. He turned back to face his parents. "There, I fixed it."

"Did you fix all of them?" Rukia asked him.

"Yes," Shiro replied.

"Alright," Rukia said. "I don't want to ever hear of you doing this again. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes," Shiro said.

"You know," Ukitake said, a thoughtful expression on his face. "If Toushirou is finding it that hard to keep himself occupied and out of trouble then maybe it's time to begin his training. How would you feel about allowing Shiro to attend the Academy?"

"Well," Rukia said, after a quick glance over at her husband. "Since the classes for first years are mainly in the evenings I see no reason why he can't. What do you think Ichigo?"

Ichigo shrugged. "If it keeps him out of trouble then I'm all for it."

"It's settled then," Ukitake said, turning his attention to the young boy. "What do you say about it Shiro? How would you feel about attending classes at the Shinigami Academy?"

Shiro couldn't keep the smile off his face as he nodded. The boy couldn't believe his luck. Here he'd been thinking he was going to get into trouble for coming to Soul Society and hacking into the computer and now he was going to be allowed to attend the Shinigami Academy.

Seeing the look on Shiro's face and not wanting the boy to get the idea that they condoned his behavior, Ichigo said, "You're still grounded for coming here without permission."

Shiro's face fell slightly upon hearing this news however it wasn't enough to completely dampen his spirits.

"You'll have to take the entrance exam of course," Ukitake said. "But with your abilities and intelligence it's merely a formality."

Shiro nodded.

* * *

A week later Ichigo, Rukia and Shiro were once again standing in front of the Head Captain's desk. Ukitake picked up a folder and gazed over at Shiro. "Well Toushirou I'm pleased to inform you that you've been accepted into the Shinigami Academy, which is no surprise to anyone here. And your test scores were the highest out of all of the applicants which means that you'll be in the advanced class."

There was a smug look on Shiro's face as he nodded.

Ukitake picked up a stack of folded clothing and offered it to the boy. "Here's your uniform and I apologize in advance but it's the smallest one they had. Class starts tomorrow evening."

Nodding to the Head Captain, the Kurosaki family turned and left the office. When they arrived back home Rukia turned to her son, an excited expression on her face. "Go try on your uniform Shiro-chan. I want to see."

Shiro didn't see what the big deal was, she already knew what the Academy uniforms looked like, however he nodded and went upstairs to his room. Ichigo and Rukia sat down on the sofa to await their son's return and, after about ten minutes they heard, **"YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!"**

"That sounds promising," Ichigo said with a smirk.

Rukia nodded. "I wonder what that was all about anyway?"

Her question was answered a couple of minutes later when Shiro descended the stairs. The sleeves of his uniform, which were supposed to be three quarter length, completely obscured his arms and he was having to hold up his pant legs just so he could walk.

"This is **NOT** going to work," Shiro said angrily as he came to a stop in front of his parents. Then he gave his dad an icy look. "And it's **NOT** **FUNNY**!"

"I'm sorry Shiro," Ichigo said, forcing himself to stop laughing but at the same time wiping tears from his eyes. "I couldn't help it."

"What am I supposed to do?" Shiro demanded. "I can't fight in this, I can barely walk in it."

"It's okay," Ichigo said, a grin still on his face. "I know someone who can help. Sit down and I'll be right back."

Having forgotten that he had to hold up the legs of his pants in order to walk, Shiro took a step toward the sofa, tripped and almost fell. Reaching out quickly, relying on reflexes honed by constant battle, Ichigo grabbed the back of Shiro's collar and prevented his fall.

"Thanks," Shiro said as he massaged his throat. "I think."

With a chuckle Ichigo left the room, walked upstairs and picked up the phone in his bedroom.

"Hello. . ."

"Hey Orihime," Ichigo said when she answered the phone. "Is Uryu around?"

"Yea. He and Kasumi are out in the backyard training. You wanna talk to him Ichigo?"

"Please."

"Hold on for just a sec."

Ichigo heard the sound of the phone being placed down on a hard surface, then a few minutes later a new voice came over the line.

"What do you want Kurosaki?"

"It's nice to talk to you too Uryu," Ichigo said, a note of sarcasm evident in his voice. "Do you still have that sewing kit you toted around throughout high school?"

"Of course I do. How do you think Kasumi and I get our uniforms? Those aren't exactly standard merchandise for your average store you know."

"I was hoping you'd say that. Listen Uryu, I need a favor."

Rukia and Shiro were still sitting on the sofa when Ichigo came back downstairs ten minutes later and they both gave him a questioning stare.

"I called a tailor," Ichigo told them as he sat down beside Shiro. "He should be here any minute."

And, as if on cue, the doorbell rang. Ichigo gazed down at his son, a smirk on his face. "Hey Shiro, go and get the door."

Shiro glared up at his father, an icy look in his blue-green eyes, and Ichigo could swear that the room's temperature dropped by about twenty degrees. The Squad Five Captain shivered and got to his feet. "You know what, never mind. I'll get it."

Ichigo walked out of the room and over to the front door, which he quickly pulled open. "Come in Uryu."

The tall black haired man stepped into the house and immediately started shivering. "Damn Kurosaki, do you have the air conditioner turned on or something?"

Ichigo shook his head, now realizing that the temperature change hadn't been a figment of his imagination. "No but I did piss off my son a few minutes ago."

"That explains it," Uryu said as he and Ichigo walked toward the living room. "You should be more careful Kurosaki. One of these days he's going to end up killing you."

"Nah," Ichigo said, shaking his head. "He's harmless."

Uryu shrugged. "If you say so."

"The tailor's here," Ichigo called out as he and Uryu entered the living room. "Sorry but he's the best I could find on such short notice."

Uryu chose to ignore Ichigo and instead turned his attention to Shiro. "Stand up so I can see what needs to be altered."

Shiro hesitated, glancing down at the mass of fabric that was his uniform. Sensing a problem and seeking to solve it before it arose Ichigo walked over to his son, grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him to a standing position.

Shiro glared at his father but chose to remain silent.

Uryu pulled out a small sewing kit and began to pin up Shiro's uniform. As he worked he turned to Rukia. "Is it supposed to look like the regular shihakusho?"

Rukia nodded. "Yea. The lengths are the same, the color's the only thing that's different."

"Alright," Uryu said. "Go and take it off. And be careful not to pull out any of the pins."

Shiro nodded and ran upstairs, able to move much more freely now that his pants had been pinned to the correct length. A few minutes later the boy came back downstairs, his folded up uniform in his arms.

Uryu took the uniform from Shiro. "I'll have this ready in about half an hour."

And with that Uryu sat down on the sofa and went to work. Shiro's eyes widened as he watched Uryu working furiously. He'd never seen Kasumi's father work with a needle and thread before and he was slightly impressed. _"That man could use a needle and thread as weapons," _Shiro thought to himself.

* * *

Half an hour later Uryu handed the uniform back to Shiro. "Now if you'll just go and make sure that it's right."

So Shiro once again went up to his room and pulled on his school uniform. And this time it actually fit. Glad that he no longer had to hold up his pants in order to walk Shiro made his way back downstairs.

"Perfect," Uryu said when Shiro rejoined them in the living room, a slightly smug look on his face as he gazed at his handiwork.

"Thanks Uryu," Ichigo said.

"Not a problem," Uryu said. "I'll see you guys later and the bill's in the mail."

"Rukia," Ichigo said to his wife once Uryu had left. "Can you do me a favor and call Tomori?"

"Sure," Rukia said, slightly confused. She pulled out her communicator, pushed a few buttons, and then put it back in her pocket. Within moments there was a knock on the door. Ichigo walked to the door, opened it and motioned for his third seat officer to enter the house.

"You wanted to see me Captain?" Tomori said as he followed Ichigo into the living room.

"Yes," Ichigo said. "I have an assignment for you."

"What kind of assignment?" Tomori asked warily.

"It will be your responsibility to escort Shiro to and from school every day," Ichigo said.

"What?!" Shiro and Tomori exclaimed together.

"Shiro starts the Shinigami Academy tomorrow," Ichigo said. "And I want you to make sure that he gets there and back safely, and without causing trouble. And of course it goes without saying this is an order, for both of you."

Tomori bowed to his captain, knowing that he had no choice but to follow orders. "Yes sir."

Shiro looked mutinous however he too knew that there was nothing he could do about the situation. He had no choice but to abide by his dad's wishes.

* * *

The next afternoon, when Shiro got home from school, he immediately ran up to his room and switched from one school uniform to another. Then, once he'd donned the Academy uniform, the boy made his way back downstairs. His parents weren't home however Tomori was waiting for him at the top of the basement stairs, a sour look on his face.

"Come on Toushirou," Tomori said in an irritable voice. "Hurry up."

Shiro stared up at the man, his gaze icy, and the room's temperature instantly dropped. "Drop the attitude. I'm not any happier about this arrangement than you are so unless you want to play 'hide and seek' again you'll cut the crap."

Tomori clenched his hands into fists. "You wouldn't dare. You'll be in serious trouble if you try that stunt again."

"This is true," Shiro said calmly as he and Tomori made their way downstairs. "But you're forgetting one thing. If it gets you into trouble then it's worth it. And a word of warning; you should never tell me that I wouldn't dare do anything. That has a tendency to make me want to do whatever it is even more."

Tomori growled low in his throat and made a mental note to ask Head Captain Ukitake for a squad transfer. He didn't know how much longer he could handle being in Squad Five. Not only did he hardly ever get to fight Hollow but he spent most of his time chasing after the Captain's brat. Lost in thought the third seat absently reached out toward the Senkaimon, only to find that Shiro had beat him to it.

Rolling his eyes in the direction of his escort Shiro released a burst of reiatsu and opened the gate. "How someone like you managed to make it to third seat is beyond me."

Tomori knew that the boy was trying to make him lose his temper and he was determined not to let that happen. He wasn't going to give Captain Kurosaki any further reason to be mad at him. Clenching his jaw firmly closed he followed Shiro into the Senkaimon, inwardly thinking that they were nuts for actually wanting to train the kid. He was enough trouble now and he only had limited control of his powers. Tomori couldn't imagine what he'd be like once he was actually trained.

When they arrived in the Seireitei, Shiro turned toward Tomori and gazed up at him. "Okay we're here. You can go now."

"Not a chance Toushirou," Tomori said, glaring down at the boy. "I was ordered to make sure you got to school so that's what I'm going to do."

Shiro sighed. "Okay. If you wanna be like that, fine."

And without another word to his escort, Shiro used his flash-step and vanished.

**"DAMMIT!" **Tomori yelled.

Shaking his head, unable to believe that Tomori had allowed that to happen yet again, Shiro walked across the courtyard toward the Shinigami Academy. The courtyard in front of the building was filled with students and a couple of haughty looking boys glanced down their noses at the small, white-haired boy as he approached.

"Oh no," one of them moaned, gazing over at his friend. "Not another brat from the Rukongai."

"I know what you mean," his friend said. "They'll let anyone into the Academy these days. And look at how puny this one is. He won't last five minutes in a battle."

Shiro shot the two boys an icy look. "I'm not from the Rukongai you morons."

The first boy rolled his eyes. "You're not going to try and convince us that you're from the Seireitei. . ."

"No I'm not," Shiro said calmly. "I'm not even from Soul Society. I'm still alive idiot."

The second boy's eyes widened. "Shit! I know who you are. You're the Squad Five Captain's kid."

"Correct," Shiro said, rolling his eyes. "You win a prize."

"Arrogant little thing aren't you?" the first boy said, glaring down at Shiro. "Well I don't care if you are a captain's son, I don't think you should be here. I mean your reiatsu is pathetic."

"Oh," Shiro said. "Sorry about that."

Shiro was so used to concealing his reiatsu so that he wasn't a constant target for Hollow that he maintained the barrier subconsciously now. Letting out a slow breath Shiro removed the kidou barrier that protected his reiatsu from detection and a blue aura grew around him.

The two boys immediately fell to their knees, their breathing labored, overwhelmed by Shiro's reiatsu.

"Unreal," the first boy gasped.

"What is going on?!"

Shiro glanced up and saw someone running toward them. The man's pace slowed dramatically when he got close to them however and sweat instantly appeared on his face.

"I think that's enough of that," Shiro thought to himself, once again putting up a barrier to suppress his reiatsu.

Once Shiro's barrier was back in place the two boys got to their feet and the man glanced down at the white haired boy. "You're Captain Kurosaki's son aren't you?"

Shiro nodded. "Toushirou Kurosaki but everyone just calls me Shiro."

"My name is Makoto Takeda and I teach the first year Advanced Class. And that would make you my student."

* * *

Although Shiro had been excited about the opportunity to attend the Shinigami Academy, the novelty wore off after about the first half hour and then Shiro began to wonder whether he should really be there. The lectures were boring and when they finally got to practical training Shiro found out that they were starting out with kidou of a lower level than the ones he already knew. And to make matters even worse, all of his classmates were really bad at it. Shiro watched in disgust as, one after another, the students shot at, and completely missed, the targets they were supposed to be destroying.

"If this is the Advanced Class then I'd hate to see what the normal class is doing. They're probably blowing themselves up right now."

"Kurosaki, you're up."

"Yes sir."

Shiro got to his feet and walked up to the line. The boy held out his arms and, not even bothering with the spirit chant, he released a burst of reiatsu and then watched as a large red ball flew toward the target. The kidou blast hit the target dead center and the piece of wood exploded. In no way surprised by his perfect bulls eye, Shiro turned his back on the target and walked back toward the spot he'd vacated a few minutes ago. With a sigh of boredom he sat back down.

"Kurosaki," the teacher called out as the boy sat back down. "I'd like a word with you after class."

"Yes sir," Shiro said, vaguely wondering if he'd done something wrong.

When class was dismissed for the day Shiro stayed behind while his classmates all filed out of the room. Then, once the room was empty, Takeda-sensei motioned for Shiro to approach his desk.

"You wanted to see me sir?"

Takeda-sensei nodded. "I don't think you belong in my class Kurosaki. Your skills are already too developed for first year, even the Advanced Class won't be a challenge for you. Therefore I'm going to speak to Head Captain Ukitake about skipping you ahead."

"Thank you sir," Shiro said.

Takeda-sensei nodded. "You're dismissed."

Shiro nodded and left the classroom. When he exited the building he saw that Tomori was standing at the gate, waiting for him.

"Where have you been Toushirou?" the third seat officer demanded as the boy walked toward him. "You're late."

"It's none of your business," Shiro said, his tone icy. "Let's just go."

Gritting his teeth, fighting the urge to snap at the boy, Tomori turned and followed his young charge toward the Senkaimon that would take them back home. Then, when they arrived back at the Kurosaki home, Shiro immediately dashed upstairs leaving Tomori behind.

* * *

Later that evening Shiro was up in his room when he heard his Mom call out, "Shiro could you come down here for a minute?"

"Coming," Shiro called out and, jumping to his feet, he dashed down the stairs. The boy found his parents in the living room and when he entered the room the boy saw that Rukia had a Hell butterfly perched on her finger.

"We've been summoned to Squad One again," Rukia informed the boy as he walked over to the spot where she and Ichigo stood. "Do you have any idea why?"

Shiro shook his head. "No clue."

"Well," Rukia said, choosing to give her son the benefit of the doubt. "I guess we should go and see what Head Captain Ukitake wants."

"Do we have to?" Ichigo asked.

"Yes," Rukia said, glaring at her husband.

"Fine."

Together the small family traveled to Soul Society and once again made their way to the Squad One office. Typically Ichigo complained the entire time and when they reached the office he shoved the door open without even bothering to knock.

"What do you want now?" Ichigo demanded as he and his family walked toward Ukitake's desk.

"Come in Kurosaki," Ukitake said needlessly. "Nice to see you. How's the family?"

Choosing to ignore the Head Captain's sarcasm, Ichigo gazed down at Ukitake. "Whatever it is, it had better be important."

"It concerns your son's future at the Academy," Ukitake said calmly, his gaze focused intently on Ichigo. "Is that important enough for you Kurosaki?"

"He's only been there for a day," Ichigo said. "How much trouble could he possibly have caused?"

"You always have to think the worst don't you Dad?" Shiro said from his spot between his parents.

"Shiro didn't do anything wrong," Ukitake said. "This time at least. His teacher informed me that his skills are too developed for first year and advised that I skip him ahead a couple of years."

Ichigo's eyes widened upon hearing this news. "Really?"

Ukitake nodded. "So we're going to test Shiro and find out how much he already knows. Shiro we're going to go out to the court yard and I want you to show me how many kidou techniques you already know."

"What are you talking about?" Ichigo asked, gazing over at the Head Captain with a confused look on his face. "Shiro should only know the barrier kidou that Momo taught him to block his reiatsu from detection."

Ukitake raised an eyebrow and Ichigo turned to his son.

"What?" Shiro asked, gazing up into his father's eyes. "It's not my fault if I pick up kidou just by watching people use them. I don't know why I'm able to do this but it's just the way it is. And there's absolutely nothing I can do about it."

Ukitake got to his feet. "Come on. We'll determine exactly what year Shiro should be in."

Ichigo and Rukia nodded and together with Ukitake and Shiro they went out to the court yard in front of the Squad One barracks. Then, once they were in the middle of the court yard, Ukitake turned to face Shiro. "Alright kid show us what you can do."

Shiro nodded and stepped away from his parents and Ukitake. Turning away from them the young boy ran through all of the kidou that he'd picked up from his mom and Hinamori, some of which were extremely impressive and much too advanced for someone of Shiro's age.

"Amazing," Ichigo whispered as he watched his son.

"Okay Shiro that's enough," Ukitake called out. "Could you come back over here?"

With a nod Shiro rejoined the group.

Ukitake gestured back toward the Squad One barracks and together he and the Kurosaki family made their way back to his office. Once they were inside Ukitake motioned for the family to sit down on the sofa and, once they complied he said, "I'll be back in a minute."

_"What in the. . ." _Shiro thought to himself as Ukitake left the office.

The Head Captain returned to the room a few minutes later and in his hands he held a sheathed sword. Ichigo and Rukia's eyes widened as Ukitake walked toward them with Hyourinmaru.

"I think Toushirou has progressed beyond mere kidou," Ukitake said as he came to a stop in front of them. "And on his own which is an impressive feat. Therefore I think he should skip up to the fourth year of the Academy and begin his training with this."

At this point the Head Captain glanced at the boy's parents, both of whom nodded their permission.

Ukitake inclined his head to the couple and then offered the sword to Shiro. The young boy got to his feet and slowly took the sword that Ukitake offered him. Holding the sheathed sword carefully in his hands Shiro stared down at the zanpaktou.

_**It's about time you came back.**_

Shiro's eyes widened as he heard the voice and he gazed around the room to see whether any one else had heard it. Apparently, judging by the looks on their faces, none of them had. He knew about the zanpaktou, that it's voice could only be heard by the person to whom it belonged, however Shiro was confused by the fact that this sword was choosing to speak to him. After all, he wasn't even a Shinigami. _"What's going on?"_

_**I'm your partner Toushirou, the embodiment of your heart and soul. My name is Hyourinmaru.**_

"Hyourinmaru," Shiro repeated in a whisper.

"That is correct," Ukitake said. "You have successfully learned the name of your zanpaktou. As you already know this sword will be your partner. And now that you've got your zanpaktou, your real training will begin. Meet me here tomorrow evening at six."

A/N- Hope you enjoyed this latest installment of Shiro-chan's story. If so please review and let me know. Until the next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	13. Embodiment of Heart and Soul

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach.

A/N- A big thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, you guys are great! And to those of you who didn't review, you still have a chance to redeem yourself. It's not too late!

Chapter Thirteen -Embodiment of Heart and Soul

"Can you believe our eight year old is actually beginning his training to become a Shinigami?" Rukia asked Ichigo as the two of them sat in their office working on paper work. It was the middle of the day and their son was away at school so the two officers were attempting to get some work done while they had the house to themselves.

"No I can't," Ichigo said, as he struggled to keep his concentration focused on the boring ass paperwork that his wife was forcing him to do. "And I find it even harder to believe that he already knows more kidou than I've ever seen performed."

"That doesn't shock me," Rukia said, further surprising her husband. "I've had the feeling that he's been learning kidou for awhile now, he gets this really serious look in his eyes when he sees someone perform a kidou that he's never seen before."

Ichigo shook his head. "No one tells me anything. I'm just out of the loop."

"Poor Captain," Rukia said.

"There you go again. Always with the sarcastic tone of voice."

* * *

It was almost six o'clock when Ichigo escorted his son through the Senkaimon to Soul Society for his first lesson with Head Captain Ukitake. Under normal circumstances he would have had one of his officers take the kid to Soul Society however he wanted to have a word with the Head Captain before Shiro officially began his training. When father and son arrived at the Squad One barracks Ichigo knocked on the door.

"Enter," a voice called out from within.

Ichigo slid the door open and he and Shiro entered the office. Ukitake glanced up from his work as they walked across the room toward him and he offered them a welcoming smile.

"Welcome," Ukitake called out. "Are you ready for your first training session Shiro?"

Shiro nodded, an excited look in his eyes.

"Good," Ukitake said. Reaching down beside his chair the Head Captain picked up the zanpaktou that was lying on the floor and offered it to the boy. "Take this and head out to the training grounds Shiro. I'll meet you there in a little while."

"Okay," Shiro said as he took the sword from Ukitake. The boy tied the sash across his shoulder and was immediately forced to adjust it to a weird angle so that he could walk without the sword dragging the ground.

Ichigo fought the urge to laugh as his son left the room, the tip of Hyourinmaru about half an inch from the ground. "Poor kid."

"He'll be okay," Ukitake said, although he had a smile on his face too. The smile faded after a few moments however and the Head Captain focused a serious and intense gaze on Ichigo. "Now are you sure you're okay with this Ichigo?"

"I'm not crazy about the idea of him becoming a Shinigami since I have first hand knowledge of how dangerous it is," Ichigo said truthfully. "However I fully realize that it's necessary for him to learn to use his powers. And there's no one I'd rather have teaching him than you Ukitake."

Having known Ichigo for a long time Ukitake did not take this compliment from the Squad Five Captain lightly. "Thanks Ichigo."

As soon as Shiro reached the training grounds he unsheathed his sword and quickly ditched the sheath, which was really uncomfortable to wear owing to the odd position it had to be in for him to be able to walk without the tip dragging the ground. Shiro held up the zanpaktou, staring at the blade in awe. For some unknown reason the sword felt familiar to Shiro and the young boy gave the sword a swing, testing the weight of it, and watched in amazement as a barrage of icicles flew from the tip. Shiro had no idea how he'd used the attack and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Cool," Shiro whispered.

_**That's nothing. Together you and I can do so much more. All I need is your trust Toushirou.**_

"Trust," Shiro repeated softly, a thoughtful expression on his face as he contemplated the words of his zanpaktou. "Well that's not something that's easily given."

_**Fair enough. We'll work on that.**_

"Hmm," Shiro said, swinging the sword once again. More ice erupted from the tip and the boy decided that the first order of business would have to be learning to control that particular power. "Could you stop with the ice already? It's a cool attack and all but I'm going to be seriously disappointed if this is all you can do."

_**It's your reiatsu. You're going to have to work on controlling it. And if you think this is all I can do you're in for a serious surprise.**_

"Gotcha."

Concentrating hard Shiro lowered his reiatsu and then swung Hyourinmaru for a third time. And this time it was just like swinging a normal sword, albeit an extremely long one.

"Thanks."

"Shiro," Ukitake called out as he walked toward him.

Shiro ceased his sword play and watched as the Head Captain walked toward him.

"Are you ready for this?" Ukitake asked the boy as he pulled his own sword from the sheath that he was wearing at his side.

Shiro nodded as he held up Hyourinmaru however there was a slightly apprehensive look in his blue-green eyes. The only opponents he'd ever faced were Hollow and he was just a little worried about facing a Shinigami and this was no ordinary Shinigami, this was the Head Captain himself. And although Shiro knew that Ukitake would never intentionally hurt him there was always the chance that something would go wrong.

Ukitake picked up on the slightly worried look in Shiro's eyes and he smiled at the boy in an encouraging sort of way. "Relax kid. To date no one's been killed during training although a few people have been maimed. But most of them were fighting your father at the time so that's to be expected."

Shiro grinned, his youthful enthusiasm finally managing to overcome any feelings of apprehension that he'd had about the fight. "Let's do this."

"I like your enthusiasm," Ukitake said, offering the boy another encouraging smile. "Come at me."

Shiro used his flash-step to rush toward the Head Captain, swinging his sword. There was a clang of metal on metal as Ukitake blocked the blow, forcing Shiro to jump back a few steps. Undeterred Shiro rushed forward again, swinging his zanpaktou furiously. Ukitake blocked each blow with little effort and the instant Shiro's attacks slowed in their intensity the Head Captain swung his own sword and the boy went on the defensive.

Shiro growled low in his throat as he was forced to step back in order to block the blows from Ukitake. _"Now would be a good time for that little ice trick Hyourinmaru."_

_**I told you it's triggered by your reiatsu.**_

"Oh yea," Shiro thought to himself. Raising his reiatsu the boy jumped back and swung his sword in an arc in front of him, releasing a barrage of ice.

Ukitake's eyes widened as he used his sword to block the icicles. He couldn't believe that the kid was already able to use one of Hyourinmaru's special moves. That was truly impressive for a child so young and it was looking more and more likely that Shiro would be a child prodigy to rival, if not exceed, Captain Hitsugaya.

Raising his blade, Ukitake once again lunged toward the boy. Anticipating the attack from the Head Captain, Shiro used his own sword to block the blow and then immediately launched another attack of ice. The ice flew toward Ukitake, this time ripping the left sleeve of his captain's coat. The Head Captain staggered back a couple of steps, marveling at the intensity of the attack.

_"I got him."_ Shiro thought to himself as he watched Ukitake take a couple of steps back.

_**That was good Toushirou but don't let up now. Go over there and finish what you started.**_

Shiro nodded and used his flash-step to appear in front of Ukitake. The boy swung Hyourinmaru fiercely however Ukitake quickly raised his own blade, blocked the blow and used his zanpaktou to push Shiro backward. Unprepared for the move Shiro lost his balance and fell on his butt.

"Uhn," Shiro moaned as he hit the ground, hard.

_**Pitiful**_

"Oh shut up," Shiro growled under his breath, not appreciating the taunt from Hyourinmaru. Shiro glanced over at Ukitake, expecting for the Head Captain to be laughing hysterically however he saw that Ukitake was smiling over at him, a warm look in his eyes. "Good job Shiro. I think that's enough for our first lesson."

Getting to his feet, Shiro nodded and walked over to the spot where he'd dropped the sheath of his zanpaktou. Picking up the sheath, Shiro slid the sword inside and then walked over to the spot where Ukitake stood. The Head Captain reached out for the sword as soon as the boy came to a stop beside him. "I'm sorry Shiro but until you're a little older and a little better trained I think I should continue to hold on to this."

Shiro nodded as he relinquished his hold on the sword.

Ukitake placed a hand on the young boy's shoulders. "You did a really good job for this to have been your first training session. I'm really proud of you Toushirou."

"Thanks Grandpa Ukitake," Shiro said.

"Well we should probably head back before your dad starts thinking that I killed you," Ukitake said.

Shiro nodded and fell into step behind Ukitake however when they arrived back at the Squad One office it became obvious that it wouldn't have mattered how long they'd stayed at the training grounds because Ichigo was sound asleep on the sofa.

Shiro smirked at the sight of his dad sleeping on the sofa. "Mom made him get up early this morning to work on paperwork. I don't know what he did to deserve that level of punishment but I guarantee he won't do it again."

"I see," Ukitake said softly. "Well apparently he decided to use our absence to his advantage. Do you think we should wake him up?"

"Definitely," Shiro said with an evil grin and a mischievous glint in his blue-green eyes. "And in the most annoying manner possible."

"Now Shiro-chan," Ukitake said in a reproachful voice. "You shouldn't be like that."

"Why not?" Shiro demanded. "He'd do it to me. The man delights in tormenting me."

_"And you both delight in tormenting me," _Ukitake thought to himself before walking over to the sofa and placing a hand on Ichigo's shoulder. "Ichigo!"

"What?" Ichigo mumbled, still half asleep.

"We're finished with our training for the day," Ukitake informed him. "So you can take your son and leave. You don't have to go home but you can't stay here."

Ichigo growled low in his throat as he got slowly to his feet. "You interrupted a really good dream just so you know."

"Sorry," Ukitake said, sounding less than apologetic. "Shiro, we'll continue our training tomorrow, same time."

"Right," Shiro said with a nod.

And thus a pattern began. Every day after school Shiro traveled to Soul Society, where he either trained with Head Captain Ukitake or attended class at the Academy. After every training session with Ukitake the Head Captain allowed Shiro some time alone so that he could bond with his zanpaktou.

_**I can't believe you lost again. This is like the tenth time and you've only been training for a week.**_

"Exactly," Shiro said, growling low in his throat at the unnecessary criticism from Hyourinmaru. "I've been training for a week so cut me some slack."

_**Cut me some slack he says.**_

Shiro was sure that if he could see Hyourinmaru's true form it would be rolling its eyes and that annoyed the boy slightly. He was also annoyed by the smug sound in the voice that only he could hear. "I think they're lying about you being the embodiment of my heart and soul. You're a real pain in the butt."

_**Yea and no one's ever said that about you I'm sure.**_

Shiro stopped to ponder that statement for a moment and that's when he heard the roar of a Hollow. Gazing up quickly Shiro saw a huge Hollow approaching him at a rapid pace.

"How the hell did a Hollow get here?!" Shiro exclaimed, holding up his sword.

* * *

"Ichigo!" Ukitake exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "Do you feel that reiatsu?"

Ichigo nodded as he too jumped to his feet. "It's a Hollow and it's out at the training grounds with Shiro!"

Without another word the two captains ran from the room and vanished.

* * *

"Okay Hyourinmaru," Shiro said as the barrage of ice failed to kill the Hollow and the creature's claws slashed the flesh of his right shoulder. He needed another attack to defeat the Hollow and for that he needed to rely on his sword since the ice barrage was the only thing he knew how to do on his own. "I trust you and I need your help."

_**Concentrate.**_

Blowing out a slow breath to calm himself Shiro instantly knew what to do. He raised his zanpaktou and pointed the tip toward the heavens. "Reign over the frosted frozen sky, Hyourinmaru!"

A giant dragon comprised of ice and water erupted from the tip of Shiro's zanpaktou and with a swing of his sword the boy sent the dragon sailing toward the Hollow. The attack hit the beast with tremendous force and its mask split down the middle a split second before it disintegrated.

"TOUSHIROU!!"

Shiro turned and watched as his dad and the Head Captain ran toward him. _"And the cavalry has arrived, just after the nick of time I believe."_

_**For real.**_

"Are you okay?" Ichigo asked as he ran up to his son.

"I'll live," Shiro said wryly as he placed his hand over the wound on his shoulder. He glanced up at his dad, half expecting him to be mad, but to his surprise Ichigo smiled down at him.

"That was a massive Hollow," Ichigo said, sounding slightly impressed. "I can't believe you killed it with one blow. And you learned Shikai on top of that. I'm proud of you son."

Shiro's eyes widened in amazement as he heard these words. That was not what he'd been expecting to hear and he stared over at Ichigo in disbelief. He'd been expecting his dad to be angry about the fact that he'd chosen to fight the Hollow instead of running away and had been fully prepared to hear a lecture.

"Come on kiddo," Ichigo said, placing his hand on Shiro's uninjured shoulder. "I think it's time for a trip to Squad Four. We have to get that wound treated."

Shiro nodded and together the trio left the training grounds.

Together they made their way to the Squad Four barracks where they found Ukitake's wife, Captain Retsu Unohana, sitting in her office. She glanced up as Ukitake knocked on the half open door and her face lit up with a smile.

"Hey Jyuu," she said softly as her gaze fell upon her husband. "What are you doing here?"

Shaking his head Ukitake stepped to one side, revealing the injured boy who stood behind him. The smile left Captain Unohana's face as her gaze fell upon Shiro and she quickly got to her feet and walked the short distance across the room over to the spot where the boy stood beside his dad.

"What happened?" she asked as she carefully examined the wound on the boy's shoulder.

"He was attacked by a Hollow," Ichigo replied.

"I see," Unohana said. "Well come with me Shiro-chan and we'll get you fixed up. It's not a serious wound although I'm sure it hurts."

Shiro shrugged nonchalantly. "It's no big deal."

"Hmm," Unohana said, thinking to herself that his statement sounded just like something that Captain Hitsugaya would have said. "Well come on."

Captain Unohana led the way down the hall to a small room, where she motioned for Shiro to sit down on the edge of the bed that was positioned in the center of the room. Shiro complied and, after removing his shirt, Unohana carefully cleaned his shoulder wound, rubbed some ointment on it, and then wrapped clean, white bandages around it.

"It should be okay in a few days," Unohana told Ichigo once she'd finished treating Shiro's wound. "Until then make sure he keeps his arm in the sling and keeps usage of the arm to a bare minimum."

Ichigo nodded. "Thanks Captain Unohana."

"You're welcome Captain Kurosaki," Captain Unohana said with a smile.

"Well come on Shiro," Ichigo said as he motioned for his son to follow him. "I guess we should go home and face the music. Your mother's going to flip out when she sees your arm, just so you know."

Shiro nodded as he hopped down from the bed. He already knew this fact and did not need for his father to remind him.

Rukia was sitting at her desk, working on paperwork that Ichigo had been neglecting, when she heard the sounds of footsteps coming up from the basement. Leaving her office Rukia went out to meet her husband and son and the first thing she noticed when they emerged from the basement was the fact that her son had his arm in a sling.

"Toushirou! What in the world happened?" she asked as she rushed over to her son.

"It's nothing Mom," Shiro said, pulling away from his mother, embarrassed by her concern. "Just a scratch."

"Shiro decided that Ukitake wasn't enough of an opponent," Ichigo said. "So he had to fight a Hollow. And not just any Hollow, a Menos."

Rukia's eyes widened.

"You would have been proud of him Rukia," Ichigo said, the pride he felt for his son evident in his voice. "He destroyed it with one blow using his Shikai, which is a seriously cool looking ice dragon."

Shiro grinned at the shocked expression on his mom's face however the grin left his face as his dad gazed down at him with a serious expression on his face. "Now I don't want you to think this means it's okay for you to go out looking for trouble Toushirou. I'm proud of the fact that you were able to destroy that Hollow but I still want you to stay away from them, got that?"

Shiro nodded. "Say Dad, I guess this gets me out of homework for the next couple of days huh?"

Ichigo stared down at his son. "And what would give you that idea?"

"Captain Unohana said that I had to keep the usage of my arm to a minimum," Shiro said with a smirk, enjoying the look on his dad's face. "And since I'm right handed that means that I can't do my homework. That would be over-exerting myself and going against doctor's orders."

Ichigo stared at his son in disbelief.

"It's okay Shiro-chan," Rukia said, ignoring the look on her husband's face and staring down at her son. "I'll write you a note for school. You should probably go upstairs and get some rest."

Shiro nodded and left the room.

Ichigo stared up at the stairs, where his son had disappeared, a thoughtful expression in his brown eyes. Rukia glanced over at her husband and she could almost see the wheels inside his head turning. "Don't even think about it Captain. Getting mauled by a Hollow will NOT get you out of your paperwork so don't even try it."

"Damn," Ichigo growled.

"And about the homework," Rukia said, rolling her eyes in her husband's direction. "You do realize that he never has homework right?"

"I sorta forgot that part," Ichigo admitted sheepishly.

"Of course you did," Rukia said, shaking her head.

A/N- Hope you enjoyed this latest installment of Shiro's story. Please review and let me know how I'm doing. Until the next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	14. The Importance of Friends

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach

A/N- A short little chapter about friendship and the lengths to which Shiro will go to protect the ones he cares about.

Chapter Fourteen -The Importance of Friends

School was over for the day and Shiro was on his way out to meet Kasumi at their usual spot, under a tree out in the courtyard. However as he approached he saw that Kasumi wasn't alone. Several older boys were standing in front of her and Shiro noticed that his friend looked on the verge of tears.

Sensing trouble Shiro picked up his pace and jogged over to the spot where his best friend stood. Completely ignoring the group of older boys Shiro called out, "Hey Kasumi, you ready to go?"

Kasumi turned toward the sound of her best friend's voice and Shiro saw that her blue eyes were filled with unshed tears.

"Back off shorty," one of the older boys snapped, glaring at Shiro with a menacing look in his cold eyes. "This ain't got nothing to do with you. You'd best make yourself scarce you little brat, before we decide not to let you go."

Ignoring the threat Shiro's gaze shifted from Kasumi to the boy, an icy look in his blue-green eyes. A chill wind began to blow however Shiro paid absolutely no attention to it. "Listen jerk, cause I'm only going to say this once. I'm giving you fair warning, if you make Kasumi cry then I'll make you bleed."

That statement caused the three boys to burst into uncontrolled laughter and the leader stared down at Shiro with a sneer on his face. "Scary."

"I don't care if you're scared or not," Shiro stated matter-of-factly, not the slightest bit concerned that there were three of them and only one of him, not to mention the fact that they were all at least twice his size. "In fact I actually prefer for you not to be scared because that way I won't have to chase you down before I beat the snot out of you."

"Why you. . ." The bully took a step toward Shiro however something about the boy gave him pause and he hesitated. He took a step toward Kasumi and shoved her forward roughly. "Fine, take your worthless little girlfriend and get out of here."

Shiro's gaze went instantly to Kasumi and he watched as a single tear slid down her face. She was fighting hard not to cry however she was unable to stop that single tear from falling and the fact that she was hurting made Shiro hurt inside as well. Clenching his hands into fists, Shiro turned back to the bully.

"You got somethin' you wanna say shorty?"

"I gave you a warning," Shiro growled in a low voice that almost sounded as though it belonged to someone else. The chill wind that had been blowing across the schoolyard increased in it's intensity. The bully opened his mouth to say something however his words were cut short as his head snapped around to the side. The other two boys gaped in surprise as the white haired boy leapt into the air and kicked their leader in the side of the head.

The leader fell to the ground on his hands and knees and his two buddies quickly knelt at his side. Shiro stood off to the side, gazing down at them in disgust.

"Get him you morons," the bully ordered, staggering to his feet and spitting blood from his mouth.

"Toushirou!" Kasumi cried out in alarm, as all three boys approached her friend. _"What have I done?"_

"You might want to step back Kasumi," Shiro said calmly as he assumed a defensive stance and watched as the bullies approached him. "I'd hate for you to get drawn into this."

Kasumi nodded and stepped back a few feet. She desperately wanted to do something about the situation however she knew that it had already gone to far. There could be no stopping it at this point and she should listen to Shiro's advice before she made things worse.

The first of the three boys rushed him and Shiro dodged lightly to the side, spun around and kicked the boy's legs out from under him. Without pausing Shiro caught a fist that had been aiming for his head, bent the boy's wrist and tossed him through the air. Then he turned back to the leader, a cold look in his eyes. The chill wind was still blowing and it ruffled the boy's snow white hair.

"You're going to pay for that you little freak," the bully growled, a second before he rushed toward the smaller boy.

"Terrifying," Shiro muttered to himself as he kicked the boy in the solar plexus. The bully once again dropped to his knees, this time gasping for breath, and Shiro calmly raised his fist, preparing to end the fight.

**"KUROSAKI!"**

Shiro froze as the voice of his teacher rang out, even through all of the noise. Turning, he watched as Hatori-sensei walked toward them, a stern expression on his face. The teacher stared down at the three older boys, all of whom were on the ground, and then his gaze returned to Shiro. "What is the meaning of this Kurosaki?"

Shiro shrugged, not willing to go into the details. The outcome would not change even if he told the teacher the circumstances surrounding the fight so there really was no point. He would admit to what he had done and it was none of the teacher's business why he had done it.

"Come with me," Hatori-sensei said in a stern voice.

Shiro nodded and turned to follow his teacher however he paused when he heard Kasumi's voice.

"Wait sensei, this isn't. . ."

"Go home Kasumi," Shiro said in a low voice, his intense gaze falling on her. "It's okay, really."

Hatori-sensei turned to face the young girl. "Is there something you wanted to say?"

Kasumi glanced toward Shiro and the look in his blue-green eyes made his wishes perfectly clear. Bowing her head Kasumi replied, "No sir."

Hatori-sensei was slightly confused however he chose not to pursue the matter. Instead he turned and led the way back over to the school building, with Shiro following along behind. A couple of other teachers who'd witnessed the tail end of the confrontation walked over to the three boys to see if they were alright.

Kasumi shook her head in disgust as she listened to the three boys whine about their injuries, which were extremely minor considering what Shiro could have done to them. Her friend hadn't even used any of his powers. _"Babies."_

"Come on," one of the teachers said, helping the boys to their feet. "You boys should probably visit the nurse just to be on the safe side."

The three bullies nodded and followed the teacher toward the school building. With a sigh Kasumi sat down under the tree to wait for her friend to return. Shiro had told her to go home however there was no way she was going to do that considering the fact that all of this had been caused by her.

* * *

Forty-five minutes later Shiro once again left the school building and his eyes widened as he saw that Kasumi was sitting under the tree, her knees drawn up to her chin and her arms wrapped around them protectively. Shaking his head he called out to her in an exasperated tone of voice, "I thought I told you to go home."

Kasumi glanced up as her friend came to a stop beside her. "Like I would do that when this was all my fault."

Shiro grinned, having known that she'd blame herself for what had transpired. "It wasn't your fault. You didn't make that guy stupid and besides I'm the bad influence remember?"

Kasumi couldn't help but smile as she heard these words. Her dad was constantly telling both Shiro and Ichigo that Shiro was a bad influence on her.

Shiro offered Kasumi his hand. "Come on. We're late and if we don't get home soon they'll probably send out the army."

Kasumi nodded as she accepted his hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet. "You're right Shiro-chan. I'm surprised no one's come looking for us yet."

"You and me both."

Together the two friends started toward home however they'd traveled less than a tenth of a mile when they were joined by a woman dressed in black.

"Hey Kaiya," Shiro said as the Shinigami fell into step beside him. "Knew it was only a matter of time before someone showed up."

"What happened Shiro-chan?" Kaiya asked the boy. "You're late."

"Nothing serious," Shiro told her in a casual voice. "We were just hanging out and lost track of time."

Kaiya didn't look convinced however she knew the boy well enough not to press the matter. "I was worried."

"You don't have to worry about me," Shiro told her, shaking his head. "I can take care of a few measly Hollow."

"I know you can," Kaiya said, smiling down at the child. "But that would not make your dad happy."

Shiro shrugged. "He worries too much."

While Shiro and Kaiya were absorbed in their conversation Kasumi was gazing around and as she did so she noticed that they were attracting a lot of attention and getting weird looks from some passers by. _"Ugh," _she thought to herself as she realized what was going on. _"They can't see Kaiya and it looks like Shiro-chan's talking to himself. They must all think that he's crazy or something." _She quickly turned back to her best friend and spoke in a quiet voice. "Um Shiro-chan, you may want to consider postponing this conversation. People are staring at you like you're crazy."

Shiro glanced toward some of the people who were giving him weird looks and smirked. The couple that Shiro chose to fix with his gaze bowed their heads and quickly hurried past, looking anywhere but in the direction of the young white-haired boy.

"Hurry up honey," Shiro said in a mocking tone, his gaze shifting away from the couple who were quickly making their way down the street. "And don't stare at the little freak, it might rub off on you."

"Toushirou," both Kaiya and Kasumi said in a reproachful tone.

"What?" Shiro exclaimed, his blue-green eyes narrowed. "I can't stand people like that. Even if I were talking to myself that wouldn't automatically make me crazy."

"Behave," Kasumi said reproachfully.

Shiro let out an angry breath however he closed his mouth and continued on in silence, although Kasumi and Kaiya couldn't miss the fact that the temperature in their general area had dropped by a couple of dozen degrees and a chill wind had started to blow, which told them plainer than words that the young boy was mad.

When the group arrived at the Ishida residence Kasumi offered her best friend a tentative smile and was relieved when Shiro returned it. Apparently her friend had gotten over his anger at the incident earlier and was back to his usual self. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow Shiro-chan."

"If I survive," Shiro commented darkly.

"Toushirou that's not funny!" Kasumi exclaimed, a concerned expression in her eyes.

Shiro held up his hands in a placating manner. "Calm down. I was just joking around with you. I told you that I'd be fine and I will be. Trust me."

Kasumi still looked less than convinced however she nodded and gave him a quick hug. "Take care Shiro-chan and I'll see you tomorrow."

Shiro nodded and watched as she dashed down the walk way and entered her house. Once she'd disappeared inside Shiro turned away from the house and continued on his way toward his own, his pace slower this time.

"What was that about Shiro?" Kaiya asked, confused by the exchange that had just taken place between the two children.

"I'm not supposed to talk to you remember Kaiya?" Shiro said with a smirk. "It draws attention to us."

"I knew you'd use that against me," Kaiya said with a chuckle. "Alright fine, have it your way. I'll talk, you listen. If there's something going on with you, you know you can tell me right?"

Shiro thought about her words for the barest of moments and then he nodded ever so slightly.

Kaiya waited however Shiro chose not to confide in her. With a small smile, she continued on beside him. If the kid didn't want to talk about whatever had happened then she wouldn't force the issue. She knew from past experience that she'd find out sooner or later either from him or from his parents.

When the two of them arrived at the Kurosaki residence Shiro opened the door and stepped inside, followed closely behind by Kaiya. Walking in to the den Shiro gazed around, searching for any signs of his parents however he didn't find any. He turned around and gazed back at Kaiya. "Did they have a mission or something?"

"Something," Kaiya said, shrugging her shoulders. "They got a phone call and had to leave. They summoned my and told me to meet you and keep an eye on you until they returned but they didn't tell me what the phone call was about."

Shiro groaned under his breath. He knew EXACTLY what the phone call had been about and he was not looking forward to the confrontation that he would have with his parents when they returned. With a sigh the boy jogged upstairs to his room and deposited his messenger bag on the floor beside his desk.

"Shiro-chan," Kaiya called out from the doorway. "Do you wanna talk about it now?"

Shiro sighed again and sat down on the edge of his bed. Kaiya entered the room and sat down beside the young boy, gazing at him in expectance. "When I came out of school this afternoon I saw some guys messing with Kasumi and when I intervened they started in on me, which was fine. I can deal with it but Kasumi was about to cry and I warned them, I told them that if they made Kasumi cry then I'd make them bleed. They didn't listen."

"Oh Shiro-chan," Kaiya said, shaking her head.

"I can't help it," Shiro said. "I can't stand to watch someone being picked on I don't know why but it just infuriates me."

"It's alright Shiro-chan," Kaiya said, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I understand." _"More than you'll ever know," _she added silently to herself.

* * *

It was a couple of hours later when Ichigo and Rukia returned home. When they walked inside the house they gazed around, searching for any signs of their son. The boy was nowhere to be found and Ichigo called out, "Toushirou!"

A couple of minutes passed before they heard the sound of someone descending the stairs and then their son walked into the room, Kaiya following along behind him.

"Kaiya you can go now," Ichigo said.

Kaiya hesitated and then nodded once to her captain and quickly left the room.

Ichigo gestured toward the sofa. "Have a seat Toushirou, I think there are a few things that we need to talk about."

Shiro had been expecting this since the moment he'd heard his parents enter the house and he nodded and sat down on the sofa. Ichigo sat down beside his son and gazed down at the kid. "So, would you like to tell me what exactly happened at school today Toushirou?"

Shiro took a deep breath, hoping that his dad wouldn't flip out too badly when he found out that he'd actually started the fight. "This group of boys were picking on Kasumi and when I tried to stop them they started in on me. That didn't bother me but when they made Kasumi cry I kinda flipped out."

"Toushirou."

"I know," Shiro said, his gaze dropping to the clasped hands that he was holding in his lap. "I shouldn't have started a fight, especially with people who didn't stand a chance against me, but I couldn't stop myself. Seeing her tears just set something off inside of me. I don't know what caused it but it was out of my control."

"Shiro, look at me," Ichigo said.

Shiro lifted his gaze and stared up into his father's eyes.

"There is absolutely nothing more important than sticking up for your friends Shiro," Ichigo told his son, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'm not disappointed or mad. You stood up for your friend and I think that I'd be angrier if you'd just let them pick on her."

Shiro grinned at his dad.

"Unfortunately you are going to be stuck with Kaiya for the next two days since your principal wasn't quite as understanding," Ichigo said with a chuckle. "You're suspended from school for the next two days."

"Ugh," Shiro groaned, rolling his eyes. He didn't know which was worse; having to spend his time in school, which was boring, or being stuck with a baby-sitter, even if it was Kaiya.

"I'm sorry kiddo," Ichigo said. "But there's nothing I can do about it. And at least I'm not sticking you with Tomori."

There was that, Shiro thought to himself.

"Cheer up kiddo," Ichigo said, placing his hand back on Shiro's shoulder and shaking him slightly. "Just remember, it could be worse. It could always be worse."

"You think?" Shiro said.

Ichigo chuckled and got to his feet. "Well I'd tell you to go and do your homework but I don't suppose there's really any point since you have the next two and a half days to get it done."

"I don't even have any homework Dad," Shiro said, rolling his eyes once again. "I never have homework."

"Of course not," Ichigo said as he walked away. "I forgot about that."

Shiro watched as his dad left the room and then he got to his feet and made his way back upstairs to his room. He couldn't believe what had just happened. He'd been sure that his dad would be majorly ticked about the fight so to have Ichigo tell him that he did the right thing had completely thrown him off.

_"My dad is so not a normal parent," _the young boy thought to himself as he sat down on the edge of his bed. _"First he tells me not to go out looking for trouble and then he tells me that he would have been disappointed if I hadn't beat the snot out of a group of older boys. There's no way that's normal."_

A/N- Hope you enjoyed this little chapter about friendship. If you want you can review and let me know what you think. Until the next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	15. Keeping Secrets

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach.

Chapter Fifteen- Keeping Secrets

"Alright Shiro-chan," Rukia said to her son as she practically dragged her husband toward the stairs that led down to the basement. "We're leaving now. Please listen to Tomori and try to keep out of trouble okay?"

Rukia didn't sound as though she completely trusted him to listen to this order and Shiro supposed that he really couldn't blame his mother for that sentiment. His parents didn't leave him with Tomori often since it was almost guaranteed that he'd cause problems for the officer, whom he so heartily disliked.

"Sorry kiddo," Ichigo muttered as he was dragged past his son. "I didn't want to do this to you but Kaiya's away on a mission right now and Tomori was the only one I could get."

Shiro shrugged, not sure why they couldn't just leave him home by himself, while Tomori stood at the other end of the room and pretended not to hear the words of his captain.

"Rukia are you sure that we have to go to the Seireitei right now?" Ichigo asked in a slightly whiny voice, his gaze leaving his son and returning to his wife.

"Yes Ichigo I'm sure," Rukia told him, pausing briefly to glare at him with the 'I'm tired of having this argument with you' look. "And stalling isn't really helping your situation any so come on already."

"Fine," Ichigo said, blowing out a frustrated breath. He pointed his index finger at Shiro. "You behave yourself."

"Sure thing," Shiro muttered as his parents descended the stairs down to the basement.

Tomori stood and glared at the young boy who'd once again been left in his care until he was certain that his captain and vice-captain had departed. Then he curled his lip up into a sneer. "You don't really need a baby-sitter and I really don't have time for this."

"Leave then," Shiro said in an icy tone. "Believe me, I don't want you here any more than you want to be here."

Tomori took a step toward the door but then hesitated, torn. On the one hand he really didn't want to be stuck here watching the captain's kid but on the other hand he was terrified of what Ichigo would do to him if he disobeyed the order to keep an eye on Shiro.

Shiro could see the indecision in Tomori's eyes. "Oh just go. I won't tell them that you ditched me, if that's what you're worried about."

Tomori debated his course of action for a few more seconds before he made up his mind and walked toward the door. "Toushirou, stay inside the house and don't cause any trouble."

"Idiot," Shiro muttered to himself as he turned to go back upstairs to his bedroom. The young boy casually made his way down the hall to his room and when he opened the door he called out, "Kemuri. Here kitty, kitty."

Shiro's gaze swept the room in search of the white and gray cat however Kemuri was nowhere to be seen. _"Hmm," _Shiro thought to himself as he searched the room for his cat. _"This is strange. Kemuri usually comes running when I call. Maybe he's downstairs or something."_

With this thought in mind Shiro left his room and made his way back downstairs, calling out softly as he walked. "Here kitty, kitty."

Shiro searched the entire house top to bottom, he even looked in the basement where Kemuri NEVER went, but he couldn't find any sign of his cat. "Tomori," the boy growled low in his throat as his gaze fell upon the front door and he saw that it had been left slightly ajar. "If anything happens to my cat I swear I'll. . ."

Still muttering darkly to himself Shiro grabbed the door handle and pulled it open. He knew that he'd been told to stay in the house and out of trouble but he had to find his cat. Kemuri had been a house cat his whole life and he could get hurt out there by himself.

_"I have to find him," _the boy thought to himself as he closed the door behind himself.

Shiro made his way down the street, calling out Kemuri's name softly, however it soon became clear that he had very little chance of finding the cat on his own. The town was simply too large and there were too many places that Kemuri could have gone. _"Maybe I'll go and see if Kasumi's home," _Shiro thought as he walked down the street, his gaze shifting here and there in search of his cat. _"I could really use her help with this."_

Deciding that this was the best course of action under the circumstances Shiro turned and began walking in the direction of his best friend's house, hoping as he did so that he would find her there.

Shiro was about half way to the Ishida residence when he felt an unfamiliar presence behind him. The boy whirled around quickly and his eyes widened in horror as his gaze fell upon what appeared to be an incredibly well evolved Hollow. His mind briefly flashed to a group of similar looking creatures and then to something that he'd seen as a small child.

"Arrancar," Shiro whispered as he remembered the thing that had attacked him in his own backyard when he'd been only three years old. The thing that he was facing now was like the thing that had killed his dad back then, although thankfully for Ichigo it hadn't been a permanent death.

"Well aren't you a perceptive little thing," the Arrancar said in a deep, feminine voice. "I must admit, I didn't expect for you to know what I am."

_"Not good," _Shiro thought to himself as he backed away from the Arrancar. His kidou skills were incredibly well developed but he didn't know if he had the power necessary to beat the thing. _"Guess there's only one way to find out."_

Shiro jumped away from the Arrancar a few feet and held up his hands. Thanks to his training and abilities Shiro could now use kidou without having to say the spirit chant and he held up his hands and used Red Flame Cannon against the Arrancar. Shiro's aim was true and the attack found it's mark however, when the smoke cleared, the Arrancar merely laughed at the young boy.

'You do have skills," she said, glaring at the boy through narrowed eyes. "Not to mention reiatsu that's completely off the charts." A smile spread across the part of her face that wasn't covered by a broken mask. "And all that power is going to be mine."

"Sorry," Shiro said as he leapt into the air and held his hands out in front of him. "But I'm not exactly finished with it yet. Pale Fire Crash!"

"Enough games little boy," the Arrancar snapped as she rushed toward the boy, claws growing from her hand as she approached her prey. Shiro saw the attack coming and made a move to dodge however he wasn't fast enough and the Arrancar's claws slashed through the flesh of his upper arm.

There was a blinding flash of pain as the beast's claws tore through his flesh however Shiro managed to stay focused on the battle and he launched another kidou attack. This time he used Six Bars of Light, which was a binding spell, and he managed to briefly halt the Arrancar's progress. Then, while he had her trapped, he used Pale Fire Crash once again.

"Damn you boy!" she screamed as the attack burned her flesh. With a fierce scream of rage the Arrancar broke free of the kidou that had held her trapped and rushed toward the boy, an evil glint in her orange eyes.

_"Not good," _Shiro thought as he worked to dodge her attacks, which were fearsome in their intensity. _"Really bad. You know this would be a whole lot easier if I had Hyourinmaru."_

This line of thought was halted as the Arrancar's claws once again made contact with the young boy's flesh. This time she slashed his shoulder and Shiro sucked in a sharp breath as he looked down and saw that blood was beginning to discolor his white shirt. Without pause, she attacked again and again and Shiro found himself unable to fight back or even to block. His vision was becoming blurry due to blood loss and he felt himself falling toward the ground.

_"This is really not good."_

Having expected to feel the sharp impact of his body with the pavement Shiro was surprised when he felt someone wrap their arm around him instead. He tensed, expecting another attack, however this grip wasn't harsh but exceedingly gentle. The young boy forced his eyes to open and was shocked to see that it was his Grandpa Isshin who held him, dressed in a shihakusho and holding a small sword.

"You?"

Isshin nodded ever so slightly, his narrowed gaze never leaving the Arrancar.

"My entire family is a bunch of freaks," Shiro said weakly.

"Not the whole family," Isshin said in response to this statement from the boy. "Your aunts are normal, more or less anyway."

"This is touching," the Arrancar snarled, glaring daggers at Isshin. "But you've interrupted something that has absolutely nothing to do with you Shinigami. Back off now or I'll kill you and the boy."

Isshin's eyes narrowed further and he raised his zanpaktou. "That's where you're wrong. This has EVERYTHING to do with me. No one threatens my family bitch. Now you and I are going to go a round and I'll bet you won't find me anywhere near as easy an opponent as this unarmed child."

"You just sealed your fate Shinigami," the Arrancar said, holding up her bloody claws. If the Shinigami wanted a fight then that was exactly what she'd give him. After all, she could take care of the wounded child at any moment.

The sight of the blood stains on the beast's nails only served to further infuriate Isshin and a huge aura grew around him as he lifted his sword and leapt toward the Arrancar. Holding Shiro carefully in one arm Isshin swung his zanpaktou with his free arm and completely severed the Arrancar's arm. The beast screamed in agony however Isshin didn't give her a chance to counter before he struck the final blow.

As he landed on the ground Isshin's gaze went from the disintegrating Arrancar to the injured child that he held in his arm. "Come on Shiro-chan. We need to get you back to the clinic and patched up."

"Kemuri," Shiro said weakly, once again forcing his eyes to open and gazing up at his grandfather.

"What?" Isshin had absolutely no idea what his grandson was talking about.

"I was looking for my cat," Shiro explained, working hard to fight off the darkness that was threatening to envelope him. "I have to find Kemuri, he's out here somewhere."

"We'll find your cat Shiro I promise," Isshin said in a soothing voice. "But we have to get your wounds treated first."

Shiro grimaced in pain and then nodded, feeling the blackness begin to envelope him.

* * *

"Dad what happened!" Yuzu exclaimed as Isshin came into the clinic holding his bloody grandson in his arms. Isshin nodded in the direction of one of the treatment rooms as he replied, "Shiro had a run in with a Hollow. Can you help me with him?"

Yuzu nodded. Having studied medicine after graduating high school Yuzu had stayed on to help her dad at the clinic. When Isshin placed Shiro on the bed Yuzu rushed over with a bowl of water, some towels and a bunch of clean bandages.

* * *

Shiro opened his eyes once again as Isshin was wrapping bandages around his shoulder wound and as he gazed up at his grandfather Isshin could see the pain in the young boy's blue-green eyes. "Hey kiddo," he said as he secured the bandage in place.

"Hey," Shiro whispered, attempting to sit up.

"Oh no you don't," Isshin said, gently restraining the boy. "You aren't going anywhere at the moment Toushirou so just lay back and rest."

"I have to find Kemuri," Shiro said.

"You mean this little guy?" Yuzu asked as she entered the room, holding a white and gray cat in her arms.

"Where did you find him?" Shiro asked as his aunt placed the cat down on the bed beside him. Kemuri settled down close to Shiro's side and began to purr.

"I went to your house looking for Ichigo," Yuzu said. "And he was just sitting on the front porch."

"And my dad. . ." Shiro said warily, knowing that he had to ask the question and yet at the same time worried about what the reply was going to be. "Did you find him?"

Yuzu shook her head. "No, he and Rukia weren't home."

Shiro heaved a sigh of relief and immediately winced in pain. Apparently taking a deep breath was something that he wasn't going to be able to do comfortably for awhile.

"Wait a minute," Isshin said, his gaze shifting from his daughter to his grandson. "If your mom and dad are gone then who's supposed to be watching you?"

Shiro's gaze shifted to his cat and he absently rubbed Kemuri's silky fur.

"Tomori," Isshin said, knowing that he was right by the way Shiro's eyes flew back to him. "I swear one of these days. . . Your dad's gonna flip when he finds out that the man he left in charge of his son abandoned him to do who knows what."

"You can't tell him Grandpa," Shiro said.

"What?" Isshin said in disbelief. "And exactly why not Toushirou?"

"Because. . ." Shiro began however he hesitated. It was true that Tomori had left him alone however he had been told not to leave the house and yet he'd done it anyway. Shiro knew that he wasn't entirely blameless in all of this. "If you tell dad that this happened then Tomori and I will both get into trouble."

"Explain," Isshin ordered.

"Tomori said that he didn't want to stay with me so I told him to go," Shiro admitted, his gaze shifting away from his grandfather. "I told him that I wouldn't tell my dad that he ditched me so he left. But before that he told me not to leave the house."

"So why did you leave the house?" Isshin wanted to know.

"The idiot left the door open when he left," Shiro explained. "And Kemuri got out. He's not used to the outside world so I knew that I had to find him. My poor little cat is completely institutionalized and doesn't know how to fend for himself."

Isshin shook his head. "You know I really don't see how we're going to be able to keep this from your dad. Don't you think he'll be curious about how exactly you got all those injuries?"

"Don't tell him," Shiro said.

"Don't tell him he says," Isshin repeated, rolling his eyes at the absurdity of that request. "That's just asking for trouble."

"Please Grandpa," Shiro said, his gaze going back to Isshin. "Please don't tell him."

Isshin gazed down at his grandson and he saw the pleading look in the boy's eyes. Shiro was actually begging and the boy never begged for anything. Ever. He sighed heavily and shook his head. "Fine. I'll call your dad later and tell him that you're staying with me for a couple of days. That should give you time to partially heal from your injuries."

"Thanks Grandpa," Shiro said, offering Isshin a small smile.

Isshin nodded. "You're welcome. You know that if your dad finds out about this he'll kill us both right?"

Shiro nodded.

"Okay," Isshin said. "As long as it's worth the risk to you."

Shiro laughed at the expression on his grandfather's face however the laughter came to an abrupt end when a stabbing pain shot from his shoulder all the way down his chest. The boy sucked in his breath and winced in pain. Apparently laughter was also on the list of things that he wouldn't be able to do comfortably for awhile.

Isshin walked over to a small table that was on the other side of the room and picked up a couple of pills and a glass of water. Then he walked back over to Shiro's bedside and offered the young boy the capsules and the water. "Take these. They'll help with the pain."

Shiro obediently took the pills, washing them down with the water.

"Good," Isshin said, picking up a blanket and covering Shiro with it. Then be ruffled the boy's white hair. "Now get some rest."

Isshin walked across the room, turned out the light and then stepped out into the hallway. He made his way toward the laundry room, where he found Yuzu soaking the blood-stained towels they'd used during Shiro's treatment in ice water. "Hey, can you keep an eye on Shiro for a little while?"

Yuzu nodded. "Sure dad but where are you going?"

"There's something I need to take care of," Isshin replied.

Yuzu nodded once more and watched as her dad left the room.

Isshin left his small clinic and, once he was a few yards away, used the Gikongan that Urahara had given him to once again assume his Shinigami form. The former captain of Squad Six searched the area until he found the reiatsu of the person that he was looking for and then he used his flash-step and disappeared.

Tomori was standing on a roof top, surveying Karakura Town, when he was suddenly face to face with an irate Isshin Kurosaki. Isshin grabbed the third seat officer by the front of his shirt and glared at him with a look of utmost loathing. "Do you have any idea what you allowed to happen today?"

"What. . . what are you talking about?" Tomori stammered.

"Were you or were you not instructed to keep an eye on Toushirou?" Isshin demanded.

"I was," Tomori admitted, feeling a sense of dread descend upon him. He had a feeling that this little confrontation was not going to end well for him. "Why? What has the little trouble maker done now?"

Isshin's grip on the man's shihakusho tightened as he fought the urge to punch the man. "He was attacked by an Arrancar today and almost killed!"

Tomori's face paled.

"It's lucky for you that I sensed their reiatsu and intervened," Isshin snarled. "And it's even luckier for you that Toushirou begged me not to tell his dad what happened. But you can bet your ass that if anything like this ever happens again you're a dead man. Between Ichigo and myself I can almost guarantee that there won't be enough of you left to even identify."

This said Isshin released his grip on Tomori's shirt and shoved the man roughly away.

"I. . . I didn't. . ." Tomori stammered, frantically searching for some reason he could give for leaving Shiro on his own.

Isshin held up his hand, silencing the Shinigami. "Don't bother. There's nothing that you can say to make this okay. And like I said before, I'm not going to tell Ichigo that this happened. When he gets back from where ever he is tell him that I came by and picked up Toushirou."

"Thank you," Tomori said.

"DON'T thank me," Isshin snapped, his eyes flashing fire. "I'm not doing this for you. This secret stays between us because Shiro begged me not to tell his dad."

This said Isshin turned and vanished.

_"I think I'm lucky to still be alive," _Tomori thought to himself as he watched Ichigo's father depart. "That could have been bad."

* * *

After his little confrontation with Tomori, Isshin made his way back toward the clinic. He was still angry over what had transpired and would have liked nothing more than to beat the snot out of Ichigo's third seat officer however he'd refrained because Shiro didn't want his dad to find out what had happened. This caused Isshin to contemplate the lengths to which his grandson would go to keep his dad in the dark about certain things and it raised some concerns. Shiro's injuries from the Arrancar attack were serious and yet he'd had every intention of hiding them from Ichigo.

Isshin sighed as he entered the clinic. _"I think that boy and I need to have a little talk when he wakes up."_

"Welcome back Dad," Yuzu called out as Isshin walked into the kitchen. "Did you take care of whatever it was that you had to take care of?"

Isshin nodded but didn't elaborate.

"And is the man still breathing?" Yuzu asked, one eyebrow raised.

Isshin stared at his daughter, a slightly stunned expression on his face. "What are you. . ."

"The guy who was supposed to be watching Shiro-chan," Yuzu said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You confronted him. I know that's why you left so don't even try to deny it."

Isshin marveled at his daughter's perceptiveness. "Yes he's still breathing. We just had a little chat and I informed him that if this ever happened again I wouldn't be nearly as forgiving."

Yuzu nodded, picking up on the implied meaning of that comment.

"So how's Shiro?"

"I went to check on him about ten minutes ago and he was still sound asleep," Yuzu replied. "The painkillers you gave him really knocked him out."

Isshin nodded and he made his way toward the doorway. "I'm going to go look in on him and make sure he's still okay."

"Alright," Yuzu said, a knowing look in her eyes.

Isshin made his way to the treatment room where he'd left his grandson and when he quietly opened the door he saw that Shiro was awake and sitting up on the edge of the bed. "Going somewhere?" he asked as he stepped inside the room.

Shiro shook his head. "Just didn't feel like lying there anymore."

"Now Toushirou," Isshin said, gazing at his grandson with a stern expression. "You're injuries are fairly serious. You really shouldn't be moving around just yet."

"I know," Shiro said with a shrug. "But I really can't stand just lying around, doing nothing."

"Deal with it," Isshin said, giving his grandson 'the look'.

Shiro sighed and, although it was the last thing that he wanted to do, lay back down.

"Thank you," Isshin said as he walked over and sat down in a chair by the boy's bedside. "I've worked out our alibi with your witless baby-sitter by the way. He's going to tell Ichigo that I came to your house and picked you up."

"Okay," Shiro said.

"Now listen Toushirou," Isshin said, his tone serious. "I know that you can't really help the fact that the Hollow pursue you and I know that your parents worry. If something like this ever happens again and you're determined to keep it a secret from them I want you to know that you can come here. I'll patch you up and I'll even keep it a secret from your parents."

Shiro's eyes widened in disbelief. He couldn't believe the words he was hearing coming from his grandfather's mouth.

"I know how that sounds," Isshin said. "And I also know that a normal grandparent would most likely not make this deal with you but I don't want you risking your health just because you're determined to hide something from your parents. I know you Toushirou. If you ever need help you can come to me. Believe it or not I'm fairly good at keeping secrets."

Shiro nodded. "Thanks Grandpa."

"No problem," Isshin said as he got to his feet. "Now you just stay in bed and rest. Your injuries will heal a lot faster if you stay quiet. I know that's hard for you but do this for me okay?"

Shiro nodded once again. He wasn't thrilled about staying in bed however he would do as his grandfather asked. He owed it to the man since Isshin had agreed to hide the Arrancar attack from his parents.

* * *

"I swear these meetings keep getting worse and worse," Ichigo grumbled as he and Rukia made their way upstairs. They'd just returned from the Seireitei and he'd been complaining ever since the officer's meeting had adjourned.

"So you keep saying," Rukia said, a slightly frustrated note evident in her voice. "And I'm sorry but it's not my fault that you had to go. I don't make the rules."

"No," Ichigo conceded. "But you make me follow them."

Rukia shook her head but didn't comment. Instead she turned her attention elsewhere. "Shiro-chan, we're back."

The two Shinigami waited for a reply from their son however none came.

"Where is he?" Rukia wondered out loud as her gaze scanned her immediate area.

"Toushirou," Ichigo called out. "Tomori. Hey, where are you guys?"

There was no reply and Rukia used her powers to search for the reiatsu of her son and his baby-sitter. After only a few moments she turned back to her husband, a concerned expression in her eyes. "Ichigo, they're not here."

"What's happened now?" Ichigo asked. "Or do I even want to know?"

Rukia opened her mouth however her words were interrupted by the sound of the phone ringing. She quickly crossed the room and picked up the cordless phone. "Kurosaki residence."

"Hey Rukia."

"Hello Isshin," Rukia said, confused. Ichigo's father almost never called them. Usually if he had something to say then he paid them a visit. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Actually I called because there's something I can help you with," Isshin replied. "I've been trying to call you guys for awhile now. As you may have noticed, your son is missing. Don't worry, I came by while you guys were out and found him with Tomori. Now I know that Shiro hates the man so I volunteered to keep an eye on the kid."

"Okay," Rukia said, relieved to know that Shiro was safe.

"I would also like to ask a favor," Isshin said. "Shiro wanted to know and I told him that I'd ask. Is it alright with you if he stays with me for a couple of days?"

"Are you sure you wanna do that?" Rukia asked.

"Oh yea," Isshin replied. "We're having loads of fun. He even brought the cat over, which made Yuzu's day by the way. So what do you say?"

"It's fine with me," Rukia said, turning to face her husband. "Ichigo, do you have a problem with Shiro-chan spending a couple of days with your dad?"

Ichigo shook his head. "Nope."

"Alright then Isshin," Rukia said. "He's all yours."

"Thanks Rukia. I'll bring him home in a few days. I know you guys don't like him wandering the streets alone."

"Thanks. Guess I'll talk to you later."

"Okay. Bye."

Rukia hung up the phone and turned back to face Ichigo once more. "So Shiro's going to spend a couple of days at your dad's. Do you think he called him and asked for a rescue?"

"Wouldn't put it past the kid," Ichigo said.

"So," Rukia said. "What are we going to do for the next couple of days? All by ourselves."

Ichigo smiled and wrapped his arms around Rukia's waist. "I can think of a couple of things, none of which is paperwork."

Rukia smiled softly and wrapped her own arms around her husband.

A/N- It's a conspiracy! Hope you enjoyed this latest installment of Shiro-chan's story. If you want you can review and let me know what you thought. Until the next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	16. Strange Occurrences

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach. Never have and never will.

A/N- Special thanx to those of you who have reviewed this story and to those of you who have reviewed more than once you guys rock! The story begins to pick up in this chapter. As always I sincerely hope that you enjoy it and reviews are greatly appreciated. An author likes to know that their work is worth while.

Chapter Sixteen - Strange Occurrences

Toushirou Kurosaki had been undergoing rigorous Shinigami training for nearly a year now and he was making serious progress. His skills rivaled those of real Shinigami who'd been training for longer than Shiro had been alive. The kid took child prodigy to a whole new level.

* * *

Shiro had just returned home from school and he immediately deposited his school books in his bedroom and then made his way down to the basement. When he got downstairs, Shiro walked across the room and came to a stop in front of a large, wooden frame, similar to a door frame. Placing his hand upon the side Shiro released a burst of reiatsu which opened the Senkaimon, the portal to Soul Society. With a smirk Shiro stepped through the portal. His dad had finally given up on sending an escort with him since he almost always ditched them as soon as they arrived and now allowed the kid to make the trip to the Seireitei on his own.

Traveling through the portal Shiro arrived in the Seireitei and once there he made his way to the Squad One barracks. When he arrived at Ukitake's office Shiro knocked on the door.

"Enter."

Shiro slid the door open and stepped into the Head Captain's office. Walking across the room Shiro came to a stop in front of Ukitake's desk.

"Hey Shiro," Ukitake called out, glancing up from his paperwork. "Ready to train?"

Shiro nodded. Even though he usually ended up getting the snot beaten out of him, the boy really did enjoy these training sessions with Ukitake. The Head Captain was a really great teacher and Shiro almost always learned something new during each of their training sessions.

"Okay then," Ukitake said, picking a zanpaktou up from the floor and offering the sword to the boy. "Let's go."

* * *

The training session lasted for a couple of hours and, for the first time ever, Shiro managed to get the best of the Head Captain. Swinging Hyourinmaru in an arc above his head, Shiro cried out, "Reign over the frosted frozen sky, Hyourinmaru!"

A dragon made of ice erupted from the tip of Hyourinmaru and flew toward Ukitake, striking the old captain who was unable to block the attack fast enough, and knocking him to the ground.

"Well done Shiro," Ukitake said as he got to his feet, knocking the dust and ice off his shihakusho as he did so.

"Thanks," Shiro said as the Head Captain walked toward him.

"Well Shiro," Ukitake said, gazing at the young boy with a look of pride. "I think you've made tremendous progress during these training sessions and I have a couple of surprises for you. I know your birthday is still a few days away however I've decided to give you my gifts early. And the first one is that I'm going to allow you to keep your zanpaktou from now on."

Shiro's eyes grew wide as he heard these words. Up until this point he'd always had to give the sword back to Ukitake after every training session. "Really? Awesome!"

"I thought you'd like that," Ukitake said with a smile. "And I think that you've proven yourself. Just don't do anything with it that gets you or anyone else into trouble Toushirou."

Shiro nodded.

"That's my boy," Ukitake said, gazing at Shiro with a look of fondness. "Now, here's the second of my gifts."

Reaching into the sleeve of his captain's coat, Ukitake pulled out a small device that greatly resembled a PEZ dispenser. It was light blue and had the head of a dragon on the top.

"Is that what I think it is?" Shiro asked, as he reached out to take the device from Ukitake.

Ukitake nodded. "Yes, it's a Gikongan. And only use this if you encounter a Hollow when you're without the protection of a Shinigami. Also, a slight word of caution, you should probably refrain from telling your dad that you have it."

Shiro nodded, wondering whether that little piece of advice was for his safety or for Ukitake's. "Thanks Grandpa Ukitake."

"No problem," Head Captain Ukitake said, offering the boy a smile. "Well I should probably get back to work. See you tomorrow Shiro."

Shiro nodded and watched as Ukitake walked off.

_**It's about time you beat the old man.**_

Shiro rolled his eyes as he heard the voice of his zanpaktou. "Oh shut up. It's partially your fault, you know."

_**Yea sure, blame me.**_

Not in the mood to stand around and argue with his sword, Shiro shrugged and made his way to the Senkaimon that would take him back home to the world of the living. When he arrived back at his house Shiro climbed the stairs up from the basement and, when he entered the living room he saw that his parents had company. Orihime and Kasumi were sitting on the sofa beside Rukia while Ichigo and Uryu stood nearby.

"Hey Shiro-chan!" Kasumi called out as Shiro entered the room, offering her best friend a bright smile.

"Hey," Shiro said softly as he came to a stop beside his dad.

"How was training?" Ichigo asked as he gazed down at his son. "You seem to have come out of it pretty well."

"I won but he was going easy on me," Shiro said quietly before he turned to Kasumi. "You wanna go hang out somewhere?"

"Sure," Kasumi said as she jumped to her feet.

"Don't wander too far," Rukia called out as the two children hurried out of the room.

"Okay," the two kids called out over their shoulder in unison.

"And stay out of trouble!" Ichigo yelled out as he heard the door open.

Shiro led the way to a park that was near the Kurosaki home and, once he and Kasumi were standing under their favorite oak tree, he turned to his friend. There was an excited gleam in his blue-green eyes. "You wanna see something cool?"

Kasumi nodded. "What is it?"

Shiro reached into his pocket and pulled out the gift that Ukitake had given him. "My Grandpa Ukitake gave it to me for my birthday."

Kasumi stared at the dragon headed device that Shiro had just pulled out of his pocket, a confused look on her face. She couldn't understand why this little thing would cause Shiro so much excitement. "He gave you a PEZ dispenser? How exciting."

"No," Shiro snapped, glaring at Kasumi in disapproval. "Just watch."

Pushing down the dragon's head, Shiro dispensed a small green pill and, without hesitation he popped it into his mouth. Kasumi's eyes widened in surprise as she watched Shiro leap from his body. Her friend was now dressed in black and he wore a sword, a really long sword, across his back. "Toushirou! You're a Shinigami?"

"Not exactly," Shiro said, a grin on his face. "But close enough so as not to matter."

Kasumi had always known about Shinigami since knowledge of their existence had been part of her Quincy training, however she'd had no idea that Shiro was one. His parents, yes. Him, no.

"That can't be," Kasumi said, shaking her head in denial. "I would have been able to sense it. You're completely human."

"I'm special," Shiro said, not really understanding the situation completely himself.

"Try not to get yourself killed Shiro-chan," Kasumi said, gazing over at her friend with a concerned expression on her face.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Shiro demanded. "You don't think I can fight?"

"I didn't say that," Kasumi said however her words were cut short as her friend grabbed her by the hand.

"Come on," Shiro said, a note of determination in his voice. "We're going to go and find a Hollow. Then I'll show you what I can do."

"But Shiro-chan," Kasumi said, attempting to pull her hand free from his grasp. "We're not supposed to fight Hollow."

"You don't have to fight," Shiro informed her as he dragged her away from the park. "But I'm going to show you that I can hold my own against a stupid Hollow."

"But what about your body Shiro-chan?" Kasumi asked gazing over her shoulder. "I don't think we should just leave it there."

"It'll be okay," Shiro assured her. "The Gikongan, or false soul, that I implanted it with will keep my body out of trouble."

Kasumi shrugged. Apparently there wasn't going to be any talking him out of this plan. "If you say so."

Shiro led the way down the street, searching for the aura of a Hollow, and it wasn't long before he located one. Dragging Kasumi along for the ride, Shiro used his flash-step and appeared in front of a huge Hollow.

Kasumi's eyes widened as her gaze fell upon the Hollow. It was one of the largest that she'd ever seen. "Are you sure about this Shiro-chan?"

Shiro nodded as he gripped the hilt of Hyourinmaru and pulled the zanpaktou from its sheath. "This'll be a piece of cake. I've killed dozens of Hollow with just kidou so there's no way I'm going to lose now that I've got a zanpaktou."

Kasumi didn't look entirely convinced and she rolled up her right sleeve to reveal a silver bracelet with a small cross hanging from it. Flipping the cross up into her palm, Kasumi was surrounded by a white aura, her clothes turned white and a glowing golden bow appeared in her hand.

Shiro smirked at this show of Kasumi's Quincy powers. "Okay now you're just showing off. So what happened to, we're not allowed to fight Hollow?"

Kasumi rolled his eyes and gave a derisive laugh. "I'm pretty sure I'll get in more trouble if I don't fight and then have to drag home your corpse Toushirou."

"That's not gonna happen," Shiro said as he held his zanpaktou up, its tip pointing toward the heavens. "And even if I do get myself killed there won't be a corpse to drag home remember? I'm not in my physical body anymore. And I reiterate it's not going to happen. Reign over the frosted frozen sky, Hyourinmaru!"

Kasumi gasped as she watched a dragon comprised of ice and water erupt from the tip of Shiro's sword. Swinging the sword in an arc above his head Shiro sent the dragon flying toward the Hollow.

* * *

"Rukia," Ichigo said, gazing over at his wife. "Do you feel that reiatsu?"

Rukia nodded. "What is that boy doing?"

Ichigo shook his head, a knowing expression in his eyes. "I have no idea, but I can safely guess that I'm not going to be happy about it, whatever it is. Guess I'd better go and check it out."

"I'm going with you Kurosaki," Uryu said. "After all my daughter's out there with that little trouble maker of yours."

* * *

Kasumi stared in wide eyed amazement as Shiro directed the ice dragon toward the Hollow. The dragon struck the Hollow's legs, freezing them solid. Smirking Shiro jumped into the air and slashed the Hollow's mask. The mask cracked down the center and the Hollow issued one final scream before the beast disintegrated.

"Wow Shiro-chan that was great!" Kasumi said as she ran over to her friend.

Shiro cast a cocky grin in her direction but his smile faltered as he heard, "TOUSHIROU!"

"Crap," Shiro muttered as he turned around and watched his dad and Kasumi's dad walking toward them.

"What the hell did you think you were doing Toushirou?" Ichigo demanded of his son, as he came to a stop in front of the spot where the two kids were standing. "I'm pretty sure I told you to stay away from Hollow. Did I not?"

"You did," Shiro admitted, knowing that since his dad had given him that particular order about a million times there was no way that he could just pretend that he hadn't heard it.

"So why exactly. . ." Ichigo's voice trailed off as he stared at his son's clothes and the sword that he held in his hand. "How the hell did you get out of your body?"

Forcing an innocent look onto his face, Shiro shrugged. "I'm not exactly sure."

"Not sure huh?" Ichigo said, knowing without a doubt that the kid was lying to him. "Well come on and we'll go and collect your body."

"Damn!" Shiro thought to himself as the newly formed quartet made their way to the park where he and Kasumi had left his body. He hadn't expected this from his dad however there was no escaping the inevitable at this point. When they arrived at the park Shiro returned to his body and watched in horror as his dad picked up the small green capsule that was now lying on the ground.

Holding the Gikongan between his thumb and fore finger, Ichigo turned to face his son. "Explain this."

"I found it," Shiro said without missing a beat or batting an eye.

"Found it?" Ichigo repeated incredulously. "Is that the best you can do?"

Shiro shrugged.

"Come on Toushirou," Ichigo said with a sigh. "Let's go home."

Shiro nodded and fell into step behind his father. _"I can't believe this. I've had the Gikongan for all of three hours and its already been confiscated by my dad. I have to have the worst luck ever." _

"Did you find them?" Rukia called out when she heard the sound of the front door opening.

"Yea," Ichigo replied as he and Uryu shepherded the two kids into the living room. "And do you have any idea what your son was doing when we did?"

"Well," Rukia said as she gazed over at the boy, who was still attempting to look innocent. "Judging by the fact that he's suddenly turned into MY son, to borrow your phrase, it's something I'm not gonna be happy about."

"He was fighting a Hollow," Ichigo said. Then he pulled the small green capsule from his pocket. "And he had this."

"Toushirou!" Rukia exclaimed. "Where did you get that?"

"He found it," Ichigo replied once it became apparent that Shiro wasn't going to answer his mother's question. "And I know where he found it."

"You do?" Rukia asked.

Ichigo nodded. "Yes. And Shiro and I are taking a trip to Soul Society. **NOW**!"

This said Ichigo grabbed Shiro by the arm and dragged him toward the stairs that led down to the basement. When they arrived in Soul Society Ichigo led the way to the Squad One barracks, pulling Shiro along behind him. When they arrived at Ukitake's office Ichigo flung the door open without even bothering to knock.

"Captain Kurosaki!" Ukitake said in surprise as he watched Ichigo stride across the office, followed by Shiro although the boy was walking at a far more leisurely pace. "What's going on?"

Stopping in front of the Head Captain's desk, Ichigo pulled the Gikongan from his pocket and held it up in front of Ukitake's face. "Care to explain this?"

Ukitake opened his mouth, fully prepared to confess to giving the Gikongan to the boy, however he stopped short when he saw Shiro shake his head ever so slightly. "What do you need me to explain Ichigo? It's a Gikongan, but you really should know that already. Honestly, I mean you are a captain."

"I know what it is," Ichigo snapped, glaring at Ukitake as though he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What I wanna know is where my son got it."

"Well have you tried asking your son?" Ukitake said.

"Yes," Ichigo said. "And he said he found it."

"Well," Ukitake said, shaking his head. "Someone should be more careful."

"Dammit," Ichigo swore, turning to leave. "Why did I even bother coming here?"

Ichigo tossed the small green capsule down onto Head Captain Ukitake's desk, turned around and stormed out of the office.

"I told you not to tell your dad," Ukitake said in a quiet voice once he and Shiro were alone.

"I didn't tell him," Shiro said in his own defense, rolling his eyes. "I got caught fighting a Hollow."

Picking up the Gikongan, Ukitake tossed it back to Shiro. "Try not to get caught again."

"TOUSHIROU!"

"Coming," Shiro called out. Casting a slightly apologetic look in Ukitake's direction the boy turned and dashed off after his dad.

* * *

The next morning Shiro left his house and walked the short distance to the Ishida residence. Kasumi was waiting for him at the end of the drive and the two kids made their way to school together, just like they did every morning.

"So how did things go yesterday Shiro-chan?" Kasumi asked as she fell into step beside her best friend. She and her parents had left the Kurosaki home before Ichigo and Shiro had returned from Soul Society so she didn't know how the incident from the day before had been resolved. There was a slightly worried expression on her face as she gazed at Shiro.

Shiro shrugged. "Could have been worse."

Kasumi shook her head at this typical reply from her friend. "You know Shiro-chan, the fact that you can be so nonchalant about getting into serious trouble is a sure sign that it happens too much."

"Probably," Shiro said. "I blame Hyourinmaru. I think he was a bad influence."

"Who?" Kasumi wanted to know.

"Hyourinmaru," Shiro repeated. "It's the name of my zanpaktou."

"Oh," Kasumi said as the two approached the entrance of their school building. "Guess I'll see you after school."

Shiro nodded and the two friends parted ways. Although he and Kasumi were the same age Shiro had been skipped ahead due to his test scores so he was now two grades above his best friend.

* * *

That afternoon Shiro walked Kasumi home as usual and then made his way to his own house. The boy dashed upstairs and deposited his school books on the desk in his room, then made his way quickly back down stairs. He was running later than usual and he was supposed to meet Head Captain Ukitake in less than thirty minutes.

"Ready for training Shiro?" Ichigo asked, suddenly appearing beside his son.

Shiro nodded and gazed over at his dad. Ichigo had abandoned his gigai and was dressed in his shihakusho and wearing his captain's coat which made it obvious that he was planning on taking a trip to Soul Society. Which Shiro thought was strange since Ichigo usually avoided going to the Seireitei with the utmost enthusiasm. "What are you doing dad?"

"Your mother's making me deliver these reports to Ukitake," Ichigo said as he rolled his eyes and pulled a stack of papers from the folds of his shirt. Then he raised his voice an octave in imitation of his wife. "I did the reports so the least you can do is deliver them Captain."

Shiro smirked as he listened to his dad complain.

"If she doesn't stop calling me captain in that sarcastic tone of voice. . ."

Shiro fought hard to suppress his laughter as he and his dad made their way down to the basement. He knew that his dad was just ranting. There was no danger in him doing anything to Rukia, even though as her captain he technically could. After all, she'd been calling him captain in that irreverent tone of voice for as long as Shiro could remember.

Together father and son traveled through the Senkaimon to Soul Society and together they made their way to the Head Captain's office. Once again Ichigo pulled the door open without bothering to knock and Head Captain Ukitake glanced up as Ichigo and Shiro walked across the room.

"Captain Kurosaki," Ukitake said warily, eyeing the orange haired Shinigami who was walking toward him. "And what brings you to my office today?"

Ichigo pulled a stack of papers from the fold of his shihakusho and unceremoniously dropped them on Ukitake's desk. "Here are the reports from last month. Rukia made me bring them to you or believe me I wouldn't be here."

Ukitake fought the urge to smile as he thought to himself, _"I think I got the ranking wrong for Squad Five. I really should have made Rukia the captain. Things would probably get done faster if. . ." _

Ukitake's thoughts were interrupted as he watched Shiro pull a familiar dragon headed device from his pocket. Right in front of Ichigo. Had the kid lost his mind?

"TOUSHIROU!"

Shiro gazed up at his dad as he pressed down on the dragon's head and a green ball popped out of it's mouth. "What? It's candy."

Ichigo did not look convinced and he glared down at his son. Shiro held up the dispenser, a look of complete innocence on his face. "Want one? They're watermelon flavor."

Ichigo held out his hand and Shiro gave him one of the little green balls. Placing it warily into his mouth Ichigo shook his head. "Okay so it's candy. Forgive me for not trusting you since you've given me so much reason to in the past. I'll see you guys out at the training grounds. I've got to go and talk to Renji about something and then I'll meet you guys over there."

"What?" Shiro exclaimed, his eyes widening in surprise.

"I want to see what kind of progress you're making," Ichigo told his son. "So I'm going to watch."

And with that Ichigo turned and left the office.

"Uhh," Shiro groaned.

"So tell me Shiro, when did you think of the candy?" Ukitake asked, a note of curiosity evident in his voice.

"I planned it from the start," Shiro replied. "But after getting caught with the Gikongan yesterday I knew I had to make an obvious show of it containing candy in front of my dad. Just because no one else around here knows how to cover their tracks doesn't mean that I don't."

Ukitake shook his head. This boy took child prodigy to a whole new level and the Head Captain couldn't help but be impressed. "Well come on. Time to train."

Shiro briefly debated telling Ukitake that he didn't feel well however he decided against it and followed the Head Captain out of the office without a word. Ukitake led the way out to the training grounds and once there he unsheathed his sword.

Pulling Hyourinmaru from the sheath that was secured across his back, Shiro watched as Ukitake released the power of his zanpaktou and the single blade split into two. "That seems like an unfair advantage," Shiro thought to himself as he eyed the twin blades that the Head Captain held in his hands. This was the first time that Ukitake had ever released his sword during one of their training sessions. Apparently Ukitake had decided that it was time to take things to the next level.

_**Stop complaining and attack already.**_

"Fine," Shiro muttered. "But if I get killed I'm blaming you."

Shiro used his flash-step and appeared in front of Ukitake, swinging his zanpaktou furiously. Ukitake swung his twin blades, blocking each of the kid's blows, inwardly marveling at Shiro's strength.

"The kid's getting good," Ukitake thought to himself as he dodged a furious blow from Shiro. Ukitake crossed his twin blades and used them to push Shiro back. Slightly off balance Shiro did a back flip and landed lightly a few yards away.

Shiro held up Hyourinmaru, prepared for another attack. Pointing the tip toward the heavens, Shiro called out, "Reign over the frosted, frozen sky, Hyourinmaru!"

The dragon of ice erupted from the tip of Shiro's zanpaktou, flew in a circle around the boy, and then flew directly toward the Head Captain. Crossing his swords once again, Ukitake blocked the dragon however the sheer force of the attack was enough to knock him to the ground. Shiro prepared to flash-step over to his teacher however he paused when he heard the sound of applause. Glancing up Shiro saw his dad and the Squad Nine Captain, Renji Abarai, standing on a ledge over looking the training grounds.

"Way to go Shiro!" Renji called out.

"Hey Ukitake," Ichigo called out as the Head Captain got to his feet. "What happened?"

Ukitake shrugged.

Using their flash-step Ichigo and Renji joined Ukitake and Shiro down on the training grounds.

"You lost to an eight year old," Ichigo said with a laugh. "Pitiful."

Ukitake held up his twin blades and glared over at the Squad Five Captain. "Pitiful am I? You want to go a round Ichigo?"

Ichigo nodded, his hand reaching up and gripping the hilt of Zangetsu. "Yea. That might be fun."

Shiro watched in interest as Ukitake squared off against his dad. He'd never seen the Head Captain in an actual fight and he'd only ever seen his dad fight Hollow so this could prove interesting. However as soon as Ukitake unleashed his first attack Shiro felt a blinding flash of pain as a series of images flashed before his eyes. He saw Ukitake and the Squad Eight Captain engaged in combat with. . . Shiro couldn't identify the third combatant. It wasn't someone he'd ever met although the man was dressed in a shihakusho and captain's coat.

"What the. . ."

The image abruptly changed to his dad fighting with Renji. It wasn't a serious fight, more like training or sparring however Shiro knew for a fact that he'd never witnessed anything like it. Gripping his head in his hands the boy sank to his knees.

"TOUSHIROU!"

Shiro vaguely heard the sound of his dad and Ukitake calling out his name before his eyes rolled back in his head and he fell to the ground. Ukitake, Ichigo and Renji all rushed over to the boy's side and Ichigo touched his son lightly on the shoulder.

"Wake up Shiro."

Pulling the child's upper body gently into his arms Ichigo gently shook his son and, after a few minutes, Shiro slowly opened his eyes. There was a confused expression in the boy's blue-green eyes as he gazed up at his dad.

"What happened Shiro?" Ichigo asked as the boy regained consciousness.

"I don't know," Shiro said quietly as he slowly pulled himself to a sitting position. "I saw these images, like flashes of memory, but they're not my memories. Then everything went blank."

Ukitake knelt at the boy's other side. "What did you see Toushirou?"

"I saw you," Shiro said slowly, gazing over at the Head Captain with a look of confusion on his face. "You. . . and Captain Kyouraku fighting some guy. . . some old guy that I don't know. Then I saw dad fighting with Renji, they were training or something."

"I think we should take Shiro to Squad Four," Ukitake said, his gaze turning to Ichigo.

Ichigo nodded and scooped his son up into his arms.

"This isn't necessary," Shiro protested as his dad picked him up, his face flushing red in embarrassment.

"Deal with it," Ichigo told his son in the 'we're not going to argue about this' tone of voice.

Shiro growled in frustration, under his breath of course, however he knew enough not to argue with his dad.

* * *

Rukia was in her office, working on the current month's reports, when a hell butterfly flew in through the open window. Rukia held out her index finger, allowing the black butterfly to land on it, and her eyes widened in horror as the message was relayed.

Jumping to her feet Rukia dashed out of her office and ran down to the basement. Rukia made her way through the Senkaimon and, once she arrived in Soul Society, she quickly made her way to Squad Four. When Rukia arrived at the Squad Four barracks, she found Renji standing at the door. "How is Shiro?"

"He's okay," Renji assured her, seeing the frantic look in her eyes. "But the Head Captain wants to speak to you and he says it's urgent. He and Ichigo are in Captain Unohana's office."

"Just let me check on Shiro," Rukia said. "And then I'll go."

Renji nodded, having already known she'd feel that way, and led the way down the hall to a small room. Sliding the door open, they saw Shiro sitting on the edge of the bed, with Isane standing next to him. Rukia quickly walked across the room, coming to a stop beside her son. "Shiro are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Shiro said, blowing out a frustrated breath. "I wish everyone would quit asking me that! I don't get what all the fuss is about."

Rukia smiled as she listened to her son's tirade. That was all it took to convince her that he was fine. Tousling his snow white hair she turned and left the room. Now that she'd been assured that her son was okay Rukia made her way down the hall to Captain Unohana's office.

Knocking lightly on the door Rukia slid it open and stepped inside the office. Captain Unohana was seated at her desk and Ichigo and Ukitake were standing in front of her.

"What happened to him?" Rukia asked as she came to a stop beside her husband.

"He collapsed during training," Ukitake told her. "But that's not what concerns us. When Shiro regained consciousness he told us that he'd had a vision of me and Kyouraku fighting some old man that he didn't recognize."

Rukia's eyes widened as she heard these words. "But that's not possible."

Captain Unohana spoke up at this point. "The normal process for reincarnation is that the memories and personality are wiped from the soul before it moves on however in Shiro's case something seems to have gone wrong with this process. Something has awakened Captain Hitsugaya's memories, which have been repressed up until now."

"So what should we do?" Rukia asked, gazing from Captain Unohana, to Head Captain Ukitake before coming to rest on Ichigo.

"If the child learns everything all at once there is a good chance that his mind will reject the knowledge," Captain Unohana said. "And if that happens then he could completely break down and lose all sense of self."

"We can't tell him," Ukitake said. "Not now, anyway. I'll issue an order that no one is to speak of Captain Hitsugaya in front of Shiro. I think that will work for now. Although I'm sure Shiro's heard his name mentioned I don't think anyone's actually told him about the late Captain of Squad Ten. It was pretty much understood among the Shinigami that that knowledge should wait until Shiro got older."

Rukia and Ichigo nodded.

Barely five minutes later the door of Unohana's office burst open and Isane rushed in. "Captain Unohana, come quick! Shiro's collapsed and I can't wake him up!"

Captain Unohana immediately jumped to her feet and rushed from the office, followed closely behind by Ichigo, Rukia and Head Captain Ukitake. All four of them followed Isane down the hall to the room where Shiro had been left and when they arrived they saw that the young white haired boy was lying on the bed.

Captain Unohana walked over to the bed and leaned over Shiro, touching his shoulder lightly. "Toushirou."

The boy didn't respond to the Squad Four Captain's touch or voice. After a brief examination Captain Unohana turned to the boy's frantic parents and offered them a comforting smile. "Shiro's vitals are all normal and I don't think this is anything that we should be too concerned about. He's been through a tremendous shock and his mind more than likely needs some time to come to terms with that fact. We'll keep an eye on him for awhile and see if he snaps out of it."

Ichigo and Rukia nodded, their gazes shifting from Captain Unohana to their son.

* * *

Shiro spent the next several hours in Squad Four, with his parents at his side, and then he began to slowly regain consciousness. As his vision cleared Shiro saw his mom and dad leaning over him and he gazed up at them with a confused expression in his blue-green eyes.

"Welcome back Shiro-chan," Rukia said in a soft voice.

"What happened?" Shiro asked, as he sat up in bed and gazed around the room.

"Apparently you decided that you could really use a nap," Ichigo said with a smile. "But now that you're awake I guess we can go home."

Shiro nodded and got to his feet. Together the small family left Squad Four and made their way to the Senkaimon that would take them back home to the world of the living.

A/N- The plot thickens. Hope you enjoyed this latest installment of Shiro's story. If you want you can review and let me know how I'm doing. Until next time, this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	17. Reminiscing

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach.

Chapter Seventeen- Reminiscing

Shiro was lying in bed, sound asleep, when he felt something jump up onto his bed. Seconds later he felt Kemuri rubbing up against him and he rolled over and gazed over at the clock that was sitting on the nightstand. It was almost nine o'clock, which would have been bad but for the fact that it was Saturday. Thankfully there was no school so it was okay that he'd slept in.

Shiro tossed back the blankets, completely covering his cat, and then sat up. A lump under the blankets moved around for a few minutes before Kemuri finally managed to extricate himself. The cat poked his head out from under the blankets and gazed up at Shiro reproachfully.

Shiro chuckled softly as he rubbed the soft fur behind the cat's ears. "Sorry Kemuri but I couldn't resist. And to be fair you did start it, waking me up early on a Saturday."

The cat opened his mouth and meowed softly.

"A likely story," Shiro said.

"Are you having an argument with the cat again Shiro?"

Shiro's gaze went to his bedroom door, which had just been pushed open, and he watched as his dad stepped inside the room. "No, we're not arguing."

Ichigo shook his head. His son fought with everyone, even the cat. "Your mother sent me up here to tell you to get up and get dressed."

Shiro groaned. "Oh come on. It's Saturday."

"Don't look at me," Ichigo said. "If you don't like it then take it up with her. Good luck with that by the way."

Shiro took that to mean that his dad had already tried the same thing and that the results were not good. Deciding that it wouldn't be worth the trouble Shiro sighed in resignation. "So what exactly is so important that we have to get up early on a Saturday?"

Ichigo's eyes narrowed and he clenched his hands into fists.

Those gestures were as good as a reply to the boy, who nodded his head in understanding. "Trip to Soul Society. So what's the occasion this time?"

"The annual Squad Five officers meeting," Ichigo replied with a sigh. He was resigned to the fact that he had to attend this meeting every year however there wasn't a rule that said he had to be happy about it. Not that he was all that keen on following the rules anyway.

"I see," Shiro said. "Well give me ten minutes and then I'll be downstairs."

"Alright," Ichigo said with a nod. "But I'm timing you so you'd best not even think about running off or anything like that."

Shiro stared up at his dad, an innocent look in his blue-green eyes. "Would I do something like that?"

"In a heartbeat," Ichigo answered, not even remotely fooled by his son's innocent look. "But I'm warning you now that you'd better not."

"Alright, alright," Shiro said. "Ten minutes. Now go away."

Ichigo gave his son one final look of warning before he turned and left the room, closing the door behind himself.

"I don't know why he doesn't trust me," Shiro said as he climbed out of bed and walked across the room to his closet. "Do you Kemuri?"

"Meow."

"Hey!" Shiro said, pointing his finger at the cat.

When Shiro descended the stairs eight minutes later, two minutes ahead of schedule, he found his living room packed with Shinigami.

"Good morning Shiro-chan," Kaiya called out brightly as the young boy entered the room.

Shiro nodded in her direction, thinking to himself that there really wasn't anything good about it.

"You mean he's coming too?" Tomori said under his breath.

Shiro heard the comment from his least favorite member of Squad Five and he shot the man an evil look.

"Calm down Shiro-chan," Kaiya said, placing her hand on the boy's shoulder. She'd felt the room's temperature drop by several degrees and she knew that had been caused by Shiro's rising reiatsu.

"Good. Everyone's here."

The room's temperature immediately returned to normal as Ichigo and Rukia entered the living room. The officers of Squad Five all bowed respectfully to their Captain and Vice-captain while Shiro stood off to the side, rolling his eyes.

"Come on," Ichigo ordered, ignoring the faces that his son was making. "Let's get this over with so we can all get on with our lives."

"Um. . ." Shiro spoke up, arching a brow and gazing over at his dad. "I hate to break it to you but you're all dead."

Ichigo turned his gaze to his son, his eyes narrowed.

"I couldn't help it," Shiro said with a shrug. "You walked right into it."

Ichigo said nothing but continued to glare at the boy.

"I'm sorry," Shiro said after a brief pause.

Ichigo rolled his eyes, not convinced by the insincere apology from his son. "No you're not."

Shiro held a thoughtful expression on his face for a few minutes and then he smirked. "You're right, I'm not."

Ichigo shook his head.

"Come on guys," Rukia said, a small smile on her face. "We have to go or else we're going to be late."

"Fine," Ichigo and Shiro groaned in one voice.

Rukia rolled her eyes in the direction of her husband and her son before she led the way out of the living room and downstairs to the Senkaimon. The Squad Five officers fell into step behind her, followed a few feet behind by the Squad Five Captain and his son. It was obvious to all which members of the group were the most reluctant to travel to Soul Society.

Once the group had reassembled in the basement Rukia did a quick head count to make sure that she hadn't lost anyone, mainly her husband and son. She wouldn't have put it past Ichigo and Shiro to make a break for it while her back was turned however both had managed to make it down to the basement. True, they didn't look overly happy about it, but they were there.

_"Good boys,"_ Rukia thought to herself as she placed her hand on the Senkaimon and used her reiatsu to open the portal. Rukia gestured toward the now open portal to Soul Society and the Squad Five officers all obediently filed past her and stepped through the gate. Then she gestured toward her small family. "Come on guys."

Ichigo turned to his son and smirked. "Kinda sounds like she doesn't trust us doesn't it Shiro?"

The boy nodded. "Can't imagine why not. I mean come on, what have we ever done to earn her distrust?"

"I keep a list if you'd like to read it," Rukia said with a smile.

Ichigo and Shiro both shook their heads and walked across the room to the Senkaimon. Neither had any desire to read the list of charges against them, which were more than likely extensive.

Rukia chuckled softly to herself as she wrapped her arms around theirs, Ichigo on her right and Shiro on her left, and together they stepped through the Senkaimon.

Once the group had arrived in the Seireitei Rukia turned her attention once more to her son. She gazed down at the boy in an appraising kind of way for a few minutes. "Shiro-chan, why don't you go to Squad Ten and see what Rangiku's doing? It'll be more fun than going to this meeting."

"Sure," Shiro said, looking much happier than he had a few minutes earlier.

Ichigo on the other hand looked as though he'd been cheated. "That is so not fair."

"I'm sorry," Rukia said, although she sounded less than apologetic. "But I really think that the Squad Five Captain should attend the Squad Five officer's meeting. Call me old fashioned like that if you want to but that's the way I feel."

Ichigo growled low in his throat however he opted not to complain. He knew, from previous experience, that it would be pointless.

"Alright Shiro-chan," Rukia said, turning back to her son who'd been listening to this exchange with a smirk on his face. "We'll come and get you when the meeting's over."

Shiro nodded and waved as the group of Shinigami began to make their way toward the Squad One barracks, where the meeting would be held. "Have fun Dad."

Ichigo whirled around and glared at his son however Shiro merely smirked and used his flash-step to leave the area.

"I can't believe you just did that," Ichigo said to his wife as he watched their son disappear. "There's no way to know where that boy will end up."

"He'll be with Matsumoto," Rukia said, no trace of doubt in either her expression or her voice.

"If you say so," Ichigo muttered.

"Wait and see," Rukia said, her voice filled with confidence.

When Shiro arrived at the Squad Ten barracks he stepped inside and was soon met by the Squad Ten vice-captain Kin Soma. "Hello Shiro-chan," Kin called out brightly as her gaze fell upon the young white-haired boy.

"Hey," Shiro said. "Is Ran-san around?"

"The Captain's in her office," Kin told him. "Working on paperwork."

"Alright!" Shiro exclaimed as he turned down the hallway that would take him to Matsumoto's office. "The audio commentary for that is always good."

"Just don't pick up any new words Shiro-chan," Kin warned. "Your mother would be furious."

"You're kidding right?" Shiro said, pausing briefly and turning to stare at the vice-captain in disbelief. "You DO know who my father is right? I'm sure his vocabulary is just as extensive as Ran-san's. Maybe even more so. Besides, I'm not stupid enough to use any profanities that I might pick up in front of my mother. I want to live to see my next birthday."

"You do have a point," Kin conceded.

Shiro nodded and continued down the hallway toward the Captain's office. Then, once he reached the door he knocked softly a couple of times to announce his arrival, and then he opened the door and stepped inside.

Matsumoto was sitting at her desk, forcing herself to complete a stack of paperwork that she'd been avoiding all day, and she gazed up from her work when she heard the door of her office open. The Squad Ten Captain's eyes widened as her gaze fell upon the young boy who was now striding across her office. Dressed in a shihakusho and wearing Hyourinmaru across his back all Shiro needed was a white haori and he would look almost identical to the late Captain Hitsugaya.

Matsumoto thought back on her late Captain and she could almost swear that she heard him calling out to her in a reproachful voice. "Get to work Matsumoto."

_"Captain. . ."_

"Hey! I said get to work!"

Matsumoto snapped out of her reverie as she realized that it had been Shiro who had spoken. She gazed over at the young boy, one eyebrow raised. "Hey now. You'd best watch yourself."

"Or what?" Shiro said, a taunting look in his blue-green eyes.

Matsumoto sighed, knowing that she really couldn't finish that threat. With another sigh she picked up her pen.

"I was just giving you a hard time," Shiro said, walking over to the desk and coming to stand beside Matsumoto. "You should just forget the paperwork and come train with me instead."

Matsumoto smiled softly and shook her head. She would love to do exactly what he said however it wouldn't be the responsible thing to do. "I'll practice with you Shiro-chan but I have to finish this first okay?"

Shiro let out a long suffering sigh and nodded. "Okay, if it's what you have to do."

Matsumoto reached out and fondly tousled the boy's snow white hair before she focused her attention back to her paperwork. Shiro stood at the Squad Ten Captain's side as she worked, gazing down at the papers intently, and he soon noticed something that didn't look right to him. The young boy pointed his index finger at the bottom of the page. "You did that part wrong."

Matsumoto paused her work and turned to stare at the young boy. "What?"

Shiro pointed toward two lines near the bottom of the page. "Those should be reversed."

Matsumoto studied the two lines that he'd indicated and, much to her amazement, she saw that the young boy was right. She had indeed made a mistake. "How did you know that?"

A confused look appeared in the boy's blue-green eyes. "I don't know." It seemed to Shiro that he had vague memories of doing this paperwork at some point or another yet he knew that he never had. "I don't get it," he said with a shrug. "For some reason I just knew."

Matsumoto held a thoughtful expression on her face as she gazed up at the boy who stood by her side. Head Captain Ukitake had warned them all about this, about the fact that Shiro was now experiencing flashes of Captain Hitsugaya's memories. That must be what had happened with the paperwork. It was the only way to explain how he knew that she had made a mistake. She knew that the boy had to be confused, and slightly scared although he would never in a million years admit to this fact, and she wanted to reassure the boy, explain to him what was going on, but she knew that she could not. So instead she put down her pen and got to her feet, after fixing the error that Shiro had pointed out of course. "Come on Shiro. Let's go out and train."

Shiro gazed up at the Squad Ten Captain. "But what about your paperwork Ran-san?"

Matsumoto shrugged as she stepped from behind her desk and picked up her zanpaktou. "What about it? It'll still be here when we get back. Come on, let's go and have some fun."

"Alright!" Shiro exclaimed as the two of them made their way across the room toward the door.

Matsumoto smiled at the boy's eagerness. _"You've gotta love his enthusiasm," _she thought to herself.

Matsumoto led the way out to the training grounds, followed closely behind by Shiro, and once they arrived she pulled her sword from it's sheath. A broad grin spread across the boy's face as Shiro pulled his own sword from the sheath that he wore secured across his back.

"Just go easy on me Shiro-chan," Matsumoto requested as she held up her zanpaktou. "I haven't fought in a LONG time."

Shiro chuckled softly to himself as he raised Hyourinmaru and dashed toward the Squad Ten Captain.

Matsumoto smiled as she blocked the furious blows from Shiro, marveling as she did at the boy's strength and skill. She'd heard from Head Captain Ukitake that the boy was good however she was beginning to think that good may have been a bit of an understatement. At times it was all she could do to keep up with him and as she sparred with the boy Matsumoto's thoughts drifted back, back to a similar sparring match long ago.

_"You have to concentrate," Hitsugaya called out as he sent the ice dragon soaring toward his vice-captain. "We all have to be prepared to face Aizen."_

A sharp blow and a near miss brought Matsumoto's thoughts back to the present. "Wow Shiro-chan, you're really good. I think I might have to take this a little more seriously." This said she raised her sword. "Roar Haineko!"

A strange expression appeared in Shiro's eyes as he watched Matsumoto's blade explode in a puff of smoke.

_"Concentrate Matsumoto! You're never going to achieve Bankai with that lax attitude!"_

_"I swear I'm trying sir," Matsumoto called out, a frustrated expression on her face. "But Haineko won't cooperate. She's so moody."_

_"Sounds like someone else I know."_

"Toushirou!"

The boy was brought back to reality by Matsumoto's shout and he deflected her attack with mere seconds to spare. He stared over at the Squad Ten Captain with wide eyes, not the slightest bit concerned about the near miss, but majorly confused about what he'd just seen.

"I think we should call it quits for the day Shiro," Matsumoto suggested, lowering her zanpaktou. She didn't like the look in the boy's eyes and had the feeling that if they continued the fight he may end up hurt, either mentally or physically.

Normally Shiro would protest since their sparring match had been extremely short however the strange vision had unnerved him and he merely nodded his head in agreement.

Both combatants sheathed their swords simultaneously and together they left the training grounds.

"Hey Ran-san," Shiro said quietly as the two made their way back toward the Squad Ten barracks.

"What is it Shiro-chan?" Matsumoto asked, gazing down at the boy.

"I think there's something seriously wrong with me," Shiro said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Matsumoto stopped abruptly. "Why in the world would you say something like that Toushirou?"

"I see these visions," Shiro told her, refusing to make eye contact as he spoke. He kept his gaze focused intently on the ground instead. "They're kinda like memories but they aren't things that I've ever experienced. I mean they're about people that I know but not things that I remember doing. It's. . . it's weird. Kinda like I'm seeing someone else's memories but this someone else knew all the same people that I know. Do you know what it means Ran-san?"

Matsumoto shook her head, wishing desperately that she could offer the kid words of comfort, tell him that he wasn't going crazy, but she knew that she could not. Head Captain Ukitake had given the order that no one was to tell Shiro about Captain Hitsugaya, for his own protection, and she would abide by that order. "I'm sorry Shiro, I can't help you."

"That's okay," Shiro said with a shrug. "Didn't really expect for you to be able to but it was worth a try."

Still wishing that she could say something Matsumoto stared down at the boy who so resembled her captain, a sympathetic look in her blue eyes.

"Hey guys," a voice called out as Matsumoto and Shiro made their way across the Seireitei toward the Squad Ten barracks. Both turned toward the sound of the voice and they watched as Hinamori made her way toward them. "What have you guys been up to?"

"We've been training," Matsumoto said, leaving the details of Shiro's visions out of her explanation.

"Sounds like fun," Hinamori said, turning to the young boy who stood at Matsumoto's side. "Did you have fun Shiro-chan?"

Shiro's eyes held a vacant expression and it was as though he hadn't heard the words spoken to him by Hinamori.

_Hinamori was walking toward him but it wasn't really the Hinamori that he knew. She appeared younger and happier, her hair pulled back in pig-tails and her eyes missing the sad expression that he knew so well. Dressed in an academy uniform she was walking toward him with a broad grin on her face._

"Toushirou!"

"What?" Shiro exclaimed, his eyes widening as though he were emerging from a trance. Then he realized what must have happened and shook his head, to rid himself of the unwanted visions. "Sorry, guess I spaced out again."

"That's okay Shiro-chan," Matsumoto said, wrapping her arm around his shoulders. "Come on, let's get back."

Shiro nodded and allowed her to guide him toward the Squad Ten barracks.

* * *

"Finally," Ichigo exclaimed as the Squad Five officers emerged from Squad One. "I thought that damn meeting was never going to end."

"I feel the same way about your complaining," Rukia said as she turned to the other officers. "You guys are free to go back to the world of the living. We'll catch up with you later."

"Yes ma'am," they all chorused before turning to leave.

"Come on Captain," Rukia said, turning back to face her husband/captain. "Let's go and collect your son so that we can go home."

"Okay," Ichigo said, choosing to ignore the irreverent way in which she'd said the word captain. He supposed that he really should be used to it by now but it still irritated him slightly every time she did it. "But I bet you anything that we'll have to track him down."

"And I bet you he'll be with Rangiku just like I said," Rukia retorted.

"We'll see."

When Ichigo and Rukia arrived at the Squad Ten barracks they found Matsumoto working on paperwork while Shiro was fast asleep on the sofa that was positioned in the center of the room.

_"Seems kind of backward," _Rukia thought to herself as she surveyed the scene. Then she turned to Ichigo and said, "I told you so."

"What happened Matsumoto?" Ichigo asked as he and his wife entered the office, ignoring the 'I told you so' from Rukia. "Did you knock him out?"

"Of course not," Matsumoto said, shaking her head. "We went out to the training grounds to play around and Shiro had another flash of memory. And it happened to him again while we were walking back to the office, when he saw Momo."

"I see," Rukia said, her gaze shifting from the Squad Ten Captain over to her sleeping son.

"He's been asleep since we got back to the office," Matsumoto told her friend, somewhat concerned.

"It's okay," Rukia said in a reassuring voice. "As scary as it is to not be able to wake him up it's actually normal. Every time he has one of those visions he sleeps for hours afterward. The first time that it happened Captain Unohana told us that Shiro's mind needs time to recover and process what he saw."

Matsumoto nodded to show that she understood. She was relieved that there wasn't anything seriously wrong with the young boy, whom she'd grown extremely fond of over the past five years. However there was something else that was weighing heavily on her mind. "Rukia, he thinks there's something wrong with him."

"I know," Rukia said sadly. "He's said the same thing to me but we can't risk telling him what's really going on. Captain Unohana thinks that it could be dangerous. She said there's a chance that giving him that knowledge of Captain Hitsugaya could completely destroy him."

Matsumoto sighed. "I know it's just that I feel so bad for him."

"Me too," Rukia said.

"Guess we should get him home," Ichigo said as he stepped over to the sofa where his son lay sleeping. "He can sleep just as good there as he can here."

Rukia nodded and watched as her husband leaned forward and scooped the child up into his arms. "Matsumoto, could you do me a favor and inform Head Captain Ukitake about this incident?"

"Sure," Matsumoto said.

"Thank you," Rukia said as she and her family walked toward the door.

"You're welcome," Matsumoto said quietly as she watched the small family leave her office. Then, once they'd left, Matsumoto went to the Head Captain's office and told him about what had happened with Shiro out at the training grounds. Once that had been taken care of she returned to her office and resumed her work.

As Matsumoto sat back down at her desk her thoughts wandered back to Captain Hitsugaya. She thought about the hours they'd spent training together before the war with Aizen and then she thought back to the last time that she'd seen him alive. The two Squad Ten officers had been battling one of the Espada when Hitsugaya had suddenly sensed the reiatsu of Aizen. A few seconds later he'd sensed the reiatsu of Hinamori heading toward the spot where her former Captain had infiltrated Soul Society.

Hitsugaya had paused, his sword held parallel to the ground. He was torn as to what he should do. On the one hand he was currently engaged in battle and on the other hand his best friend was heading toward certain death. He didn't know what to do.

"Go," Matsumoto had told him. She could sense the reiatsu of Aizen, Hinamori and Rukia and knew that the two female Shinigami were definitely in trouble and she could see the indecision in her captain's blue-green eyes. She knew that he wanted to go help his friend but didn't want to leave her in the middle of a battle. "I can handle this without you Captain. Go."

Hitsugaya had nodded, his blue-green eyes offering her a silent thank you, and then he'd used his flash-step to disappear. That was the last time Matsumoto had seen her captain alive. Of course she'd been there when Ichigo had returned to the Seireitei carrying the limp and lifeless body of her little captain and the sight had been heartbreaking. She'd learned later that he'd sacrificed himself in order to save the lives of Hinamori and Rukia. The decision that she'd made, the decision to allow him to pursue Hinamori, still haunted Matsumoto, even to this day. She'd told her captain to go and he'd died as a result. True, he'd directly saved the lives of two people and bought enough time for Ichigo to arrive in Soul Society, but she still felt like his death was at least partially her fault.

"I miss you Captain and I'm sorry."

A/N- Hope you enjoyed this latest installment of Shiro's story. Feel free to review and let me know what you think. Til the next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	18. Spiritually Aware

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach

Chapter Eighteen- Spiritually Aware

School had just ended for the day, not a moment too soon as far as Shiro was concerned, and he and Kasumi met at their usual spot under the large tree in the courtyard so that they could walk home together, which they did every day.

"I know that look," Kasumi said as she came to a stop beside her best friend. She arched a brow and stared at Shiro intently. "Did you have a bad day Shiro-chan?"

"Not bad exactly," Shiro replied honestly, shrugging his shoulders. "Just boring."

"In other words the usual problem huh?" Kasumi said, offering him a sympathetic look. "I think you need to skip a few more grades Shiro-chan. At least that way things would be somewhat of a challenge."

"You keep saying that," Shiro said, a slightly distracted expression in his blue-green eyes. "But I'm not entirely sure that that would really make things better for me. I already catch a lot of grief from my current classmates and I can't really imagine that being with even older students would really improve my situation."

"Poor little Shiro-chan," Kasumi said, genuine concern veiled behind her slightly taunting tone.

"Hmph. Let's just go before we're late. I don't really want an escort home."

Kasumi nodded, smiling at her friend. "Alright. You know, you ruin all my fun."

"I'm good for that," Shiro said as the two kids began the trek toward their respective homes. They hadn't gotten very far however when Shiro stopped short, his blue-green eyes wide as he scanned their surroundings. "Do you feel that?"

"Feel what?" Kasumi asked, a confused expression on her face. She too gazed around their surroundings however she neither saw nor felt anything out of the ordinary.

_"Must be too far away for Kasumi to pick up on," _Shiro thought to himself. Out loud he said, "It's a group of Hollow. I can't tell exactly how many there are but what I do know is that it's a lot. Come on, we should probably go and check things out."

"But Shiro-chan," Kasumi said hesitantly, tired of always having to be the one who remembered that the two of them were under orders to stay away from Hollow. "Don't you think someone from Squad Five will take care of it?"

Shiro shook his head. "I don't feel the reiatsu of any Shinigami, just Hollow. I can't take a chance that they're attacking someone. If you want to go home I won't hold it against you but I have to check this out."

Kasumi shook her head, having known deep down inside that there would be no talking him out of it and resigned to the fact that she'd have to go with him. "No way I'm letting you confront a bunch of Hollow alone Toushirou. I'm definately coming with you."

Shiro nodded. "Let's go."

Kasumi nodded and together the two kids dashed down the street toward the reiatsu that Shiro had picked up on. As they got closer to the scene Kasumi began to feel the reiatsu of the group of Hollow and she couldn't believe that she hadn't felt such a tremendous reiatsu sooner. It was unreal. Kasumi knew that such reiatsu must be caused by a large number of Hollow and when they arrived at the scene she gasped. A group of what had to be two dozen Hollow had formed a circle around. . . something. Kasumi couldn't make out what it was.

"Heikichi!" Shiro exclaimed in surprise as he came to a stop a few feet away from the group of Hollow.

Kasumi squinted her eyes and was just barely able to make out a lone figure standing in the center of the circle of Hollow. "Who exactly is that Shiro-chan? I don't think I've ever seen him around before."

"He's a new transfer to my class," Shiro told his best friend as he gazed over at the boy who was surrounded by Hollow. "He's only been around a couple of weeks. I don't really know him well myself."

"Hmm," Kasumi said, her gaze shifting back and forth between her best friend and the older boy. "Well apparently he's hollow bait too."

"Not good," Shiro growled under his breath as he pulled his Gikongan from his pocket. There were no signs of Shinigami and the boy knew that he had to do something about this since the Hollow had inexplicably decided to target his classmate. Shiro pressed down on the dragon's head and quickly popped the green pill into his mouth. Leaping from his body Shiro pulled Hyourinmaru from the sheath that he wore across his back in one fluid motion. "Reign over the frosted, frozen sky, Hyourinmaru!"

Kasumi watched as the familiar, ice blue dragon emerged from the tip of Shiro's zanpaktou. With a flick of his wrist the young boy sent the dragon soaring toward the nearest Hollow, which was soon as solid block of ice. Deciding that her best friend could probably use her help Kasumi pulled back her sleeve and flipped the silver cross that she wore up into her palm. The young girl was surrounded by a bright light and then a glowing, golden bow appeared in her hands.

For once Shiro wasn't annoyed by his friend's involvement in the battle. This time he actually welcomed the help. The two kids combined their powers and worked together until all of the Hollow had been destroyed.

"Great job," Shiro said as he landed gently on the ground beside Kasumi. He offered his best friend a smile as he sheathed his zanpaktou.

"You too," Kasumi said, returning his smile.

At that moment the boy that had been surrounded by the group of Hollow turned his gaze toward the two younger kids and his eyes widened as recognition hit him. "Kurosaki?"

Shiro's blue-green eyes widened in surprise. "What the. . ."

Kasumi was equally surprised. "He can see you? There is something seriously wrong with that. He shouldn't be able to see you."

"I know that!" Shiro snapped, taking a couple of steps toward his classmate.

Heikichi narrowed his eyes as Shiro came to a stop a few feet away from him. "But I don't get it," the boy said, his gaze shifting back and forth from Shiro to his body, which was still being possessed and thus supported by the Gikongan. "How can you be here and over there at the same time? That. . . that makes absolutely no sense. What exactly are you Kurosaki?"

Shiro narrowed his eyes and didn't respond.

Heikichi took a couple of steps toward Shiro, as though to ascertain whether or not he was a hallucination. "It really is you. Man that is seriously cool Kurosaki. I just have one thing I gotta ask. How exactly. . ."

Shiro held up his hand, halting his classmate in mid sentence. "I promise I'll tell you everything if you'll wait here with Kasumi until I return."

"Okay," Heikichi said with a nod. He was confused by the fact that Shiro had to leave at a time like this however, so great was his desire to know the truth about his classmate, that he was willing to hang around until he returned.

Shiro walked back over to the spot where his best friend stood and lowered his voice so that only she would be able to hear him. "Keep an eye on him until I get back. And do not, under any circumstances, let him leave or talk to anyone."

Kasumi nodded. "Okay but where are you going Shiro-chan?"

"There's something I need from home," Shiro replied. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

Kasumi nodded once again and watched as her best friend used his flash-step and disappeared.

Shiro quickly made his way to his house and when he burst through the front door he was happy to see that his parents were actually home for once. They were just coming up the stairs from the basement, which meant that they'd been in Soul Society, but at least they were home now. He closed the door behind himself and quickly walked over to spot where his parents stood.

"Toushirou!" Ichigo exclaimed as he saw that his son was in Shinigami form. "What the hell happened?"

"I have a problem," Shiro said as he attempted to catch his breath.

"What kind of problem?" Ichigo asked, his voice filled with dread. Those words, coming from the mouth of his son, never boded well.

"I need to borrow that memory modification thing of Mom's," Shiro told him.

"Explain," Ichigo ordered.

"Kasumi and I were on our way home from school," Shiro told his dad. "when I felt the reiatsu of a large amount of Hollow. And I know you've told me over and over not to go looking for trouble but I didn't sense the reiatsu of anyone from Squad Five so I felt obligated to check it out. And when we got to the spot where the Hollow had gathered I saw that one of my classmates was in the center of the circle. Kasumi and I destroyed the Hollow without too much difficulty but then my classmate turned around and he saw me. In my Shinigami form. Which, in case you didn't already know, is bad."

Rukia sighed. "The boy must have higher than normal spiritual awareness. I guess we have no choice but to erase his memory."

Ichigo nodded.

Rukia went upstairs to the office that she and Ichigo shared and retrieved the device that she used whenever she needed to modify a normal person's memory. Then, once she'd retrieved the needed item, she made her way back downstairs to the spot where her husband and son were still standing. She offered the device to her son, who took it with a nod of thanks.

"Now Shiro," Rukia said as her son turned to leave. "There's no way to tell what the boy's memory will be replaced with so be prepared for whatever happens."

Shiro nodded, thinking to himself that whatever Heikichi's memory was replaced with had to be better than what he currently knew, and quickly left the house. Now that he had the device that he needed to make his classmate forget what he'd seen the young boy quickly made his way back to the spot where he'd left Kasumi and Heikichi waiting. Thankfully they were both where he'd left them and Shiro quickly walked up to join them.

"So Kurosaki," Heikichi said as Shiro came to a stop beside him and Kasumi. "Now are you going to tell me exactly what you are?"

"Sure," Shiro said, holding up the device that he'd gotten from his mother. "But first I need for you to look at this thing."

"Why?" Heikichi wanted to know, gazing at the device that Shiro held in confusion. "What exactly is it? And why do you need me to look at it?"

"Just humor me okay?" Shiro said.

Heikichi shrugged and then focused his gaze on the small device that Shiro held in his hand. Once his classmate's gaze was focused on the device Shiro pushed a button on the top. There was a puff of smoke and, when the smoke cleared, Heikichi's eyes were out of focus.

"Hope that worked," Shiro muttered as he walked over to the spot where his body was being supported by the Gikongan. He quickly returned to his body and then grabbed one of Heikichi's arms. "Guess we should get him home since he doesn't really look all that capable at the moment."

"Do you even know where he lives Shiro-chan?" Kasumi asked as she grabbed the older boy's other arm.

Surprisingly Shiro nodded. "We were partnered together for a project at school so I've been to his house a couple of times. It's not that far from here actually."

"Alright then," Kasumi said. They began walking, supporting the older boy between them, however Kasumi stopped abruptly after only a few steps, having discovered yet another flaw in the plan. "Shiro what are we going to tell his parents?"

"That we were walking by and saw him collapse," Shiro said without a moment's thought. "I mean, what else can we say? Your son was attacked by Hollow, which are these monsters that use to be humans just like you and me, and then he witnessed his supposedly human classmate change into a Shinigami and kill them. Yea, we'd be in a padded room by nightfall."

"I guess you're right," Kasumi said as they once again began to walk. "And he doesn't have a scratch on him so I guess your story's believable enough."

"I just hope he doesn't end up with some off the wall memory," Shiro muttered as they made their way toward Heikichi's house.

"You and me both," Kasumi said.

The two kids managed to get the older boy home without a large amount of trouble and Heikichi's mother was extremely grateful to them for bringing her son home after his strange collapse. She managed to get her son into bed, with the help of the two kids, and then she invited Shiro and Kasumi inside for some milk and cookies however the two kids politely declined the offer.

"No thanks ma'am," Shiro said politely as he and Kasumi turned to leave. "We should really be getting home or else our parents will start to worry."

"Alright," Heikichi's mother said. "Some other time then."

"Okay," Shiro said.

Once they had Heikichi safely home Shiro and Kasumi quickly made their way toward their own respective homes. Although Shiro's parents knew that he was going to be late Kasumi's did not and when the two kids arrived at the Ishida residence they saw that Uryu was standing at the end of the drive-way.

"Where have you been?" he asked as the two children approached.

"We had to take care of some Hollow," Kasumi replied as though this were an everyday occurrence.

Uryu turned his gaze toward Shiro.

"I know what you're thinking," Shiro said, having recieved that particular look a few times in the past. "But this time I swear I wasn't looking for trouble. I just sensed the Hollow and no Shinigami anywhere in the vicinity so I decided to check it out."

"And he told me not to come," Kasumi added in her best friend's defense. "But I did anyway."

"And did you kill the Hollow?" Uryu asked, his question directed toward both children.

"Yes," Kasumi and Shiro replied simultaneously.

Uryu nodded as he wrapped his arm around his daughter. "Come on inside Kasumi-chan. Your mother's worried."

Kasumi nodded and allowed her father to lead her toward the house, calling out over her shoulder, "I'll see you tomorrow Shiro-chan."

"Okay," Shiro said.

Once Kasumi was safely inside her house Shiro quickly made his way to his own home. His stress level much lower this time, Shiro opened the door and calmly stepped inside.

"Is that you Shiro-chan?"

"Yea Mom it's me," Shiro called out as he made his way into the den.

"How did things go with your classmate?" Rukia asked as her son joined her and Ichigo in the den.

"I don't really know," Shiro replied with a shrug. "Heikichi was kinda out of it when we took him home. Guess I'll find out tomorrow at school."

* * *

The next morning Shiro and Kasumi made their way to class, early this time, and when they arrived at the courtyard they saw that someone was already standing underneath their favorite tree. And as they drew closer they saw that it was Heikichi.

"What the. . ." Shiro muttered as he and Kasumi walked over to his classmate.

"What was up with yesterday Kurosaki?" Heikichi demanded, his intense gaze focused on Shiro. "You promised to explain to me what happened and what the hell you are but instead you ditched me. That was so not cool."

"You mean you remember?" Shiro asked, his eyes wide. He'd never heard of that happening before.

"Of course I remember Kurosaki. Why wouldn't I?" Heikichi wanted to know.

"Oh no reason," Shiro said, groaning internally. _"Guess there's nothing for it. If he's immune to the memory modification then I'll have to tell him the truth and hope for the best."_Shiro took a deep breath. "Okay Heikichi you win. I'll tell you what happened but not here. School is definitely not the place for this particular conversation. Can you come to my house after school?"

Heikichi nodded. "You better believe it. I have to know what you are Kurosaki."

_"Seriously screwed," _Shiro thought to himself. "Meet me here after the final bell and you'll get the answers that you're looking for."

Heikichi nodded once again and then made his way toward the school building.

Shiro sighed as he sat down under the tree and gripped his head in his hands. "Well I must admit, I really wasn't expecting that."

Kasumi sat down beside her friend. "Are you really going to tell him the truth Toushirou?"

"What choice do I have?" Shiro asked, gazing into his friend's blue eyes. "The memory modification didn't work so I don't really have a whole lot of options."

"But what if he tells someone?" Kasumi asked.

Shiro laughed at the thought. "Honestly, who's going to believe it even if he does? They'll just think he's as crazy as I am weird."

Kasumi chuckled. "Yea you're probably right. So how do you think your parents will react to this?"

"Same way they react to everything else," Shiro replied. "Mom will see the rational side of the situation and Dad will completely flip out. They're so predictable. But if I'm lucky they won't be home this evening and this can stay our little secret."

"You're not that lucky," Kasumi said with a smirk.

"No," Shiro conceded. "You're probably right."

* * *

The school day passed by without incident and when Shiro made his way out to the courtyard he saw that Heikichi was already standing beneath the tree. _"Apparently he doesn't want to be ditched twice in a row," _Shiro thought to himself as he made his way toward his classmate.

Heikichi smiled as Shiro walked up to him. "I wanted to make sure that you didn't forget your promise again Kurosaki."

"No," Shiro said. "I didn't forget. As soon as Kasumi gets here we'll leave and then you'll learn the truth of how messed up I really am."

Within the span of five minutes Kasumi had joined the two boys underneath the tree. Shiro heaved a sigh and said, "Well come on."

His two companions nodded and together the trio set off toward Shiro's house. They walked in silence and before long they arrived at the Kurosaki residence. Shiro opened the door and cautiously stepped inside. "Mom," he called out as he and his two companions entered the house. "Dad. Are you guys home?"

There was no reply and Shiro smiled slightly. Finally something was going right for a change. He led the way upstairs to his room and, once the other two had joined him there, he sat down in the desk chair. Kasumi and Heikichi sat down on the edge of Shiro's bed and turned to face the young boy.

Shiro took a deep breath. "Okay. I promised that I'd tell you the truth of what you saw so here goes. Those things that were surrounding you are called Hollow. They're lost souls who can't find peace and they cause a tremendous amount of trouble around here. Now it's the job of Shinigami to track down the Hollow and cleanse their souls, so that they can move on to the Soul Society."

"Wait a second," Heikichi said, a perplexed look on his face. "Hollow? Shinigami? Soul Society? What are you talking about Kurosaki?"

"Soul Society is where souls travel after you die," Shiro explained. "And Shinigami are in charge of guiding the souls there and protecting them from Hollow."

"So let me get this straight," Heikichi said, struggling to understand. "You're telling me that you're one of these Shinigami, and that's why you were able to destroy those monsters?"

"Yes and no," Shiro replied. "I have the powers of a Shinigami but I'm still alive so I'm not technically one of them."

"Whoa," Heikichi said, placing his hand across his forehead. "This is messed up Kurosaki."

"I know," Shiro said.

"So what exactly is she?" Heikichi asked, his gaze going to Kasumi.

"I don't remember promising to explain to you what I am," Kasumi said. "But if you must know, I'm a Quincy. Quincy are a rare breed of humans who possess spiritual powers and we also battle Hollow."

Heikichi nodded and then focused his gaze back on Shiro. "I always knew there was something different about you Kurosaki. It's like I could sense it but I couldn't figure out what it was. Now I know and you have my word that I won't tell a soul. Not that they'd believe me even if I did."

This said Heikichi offered his hand to Shiro.

Shiro hesitated briefly, gazing at the outstretched hand of his classmate, and then he gripped the older boy's hand in his own.

"Who knows Kurosaki," Heikichi said as he got to his feet and walked toward the door. "Maybe we can be friends. And if I can see these Hollow now maybe I'll be able to help with the fight in the future."

"Maybe," Shiro muttered softly as his classmate left the room.

"Aww," Kasumi said as the door closed behind Shiro's classmate. "You made a new friend Shiro-chan."

A/N- Yay, Shiro made a new friend. Thanx again to everyone who's reading this and to those who have submitted reviews once again you guys rock! Hope you enjoyed this latest installment of Shiro's story. Feel free to review and let me know what you think. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	19. The Secret's Out

Disclaimer- I do not own bleach, not even the kind designed to keep whites white.

Chapter Nineteen -The Secret's Out

School was over for the day and Shiro made his way out to the courtyard where he always met Kasumi after school. Kasumi was standing under a large tree as usual and she smiled at her best friend as he approached. "How was your day Shiro-chan?" Kasumi asked as Shiro came to a stop beside her.

"Same as always," Shiro replied, rolling his eyes. "Mind numbingly boring."

Kasumi laughed at that response and shook her head. "I don't think they let you skip enough grades Shiro-chan. You should just take the high school entrance exam and be done with it."

"Believe me, if I could then I would."

"Well come on," Kasumi said, in somewhat of a hurry to get home. "I don't know about you but I have a lot of studying to do."

"I don't," Shiro said, stating a fact that didn't really surprise his best friend.

"Of course you don't," Kasumi said. "What was I thinking? Well if you don't have to study then you can help me. I have a test tomorrow and I'd really like to not fail it. What do you say Shiro-chan, are you up to playing tutor?"

"Sure," Shiro said.

"Thanks," Kasumi said, offering her friend a broad smile. "Well we should probably head to your house. You know if we're late they'll send out a search party."

"I know," Shiro growled. It still infuriated him that if they were even the slightest bit late in arriving home from school their parents freaked out and felt the need to send someone out looking for them, as though they couldn't take care of themselves.

As the two friends made their way toward the Kurosaki home they felt the familiar reiatsu of a Hollow close by. Seconds later the Hollow appeared, and it was obvious that the beast was out for blood and had every intention of attacking the two kids.

"Alright!" Shiro exclaimed as he pulled his Gikongan from his pocket. "It's about time something exciting happened!"

"You removed the kidou barrier didn't you Hollow bait?" Kasumi said in an accusing tone, her gaze shifting from the Hollow to her best friend.

"Would I do something like that?" Shiro asked with a smirk.

"YES!"

Shiro laughed and went to pop the Gikongan into his mouth however the boy suddenly froze. A strange image, that of a Hollow attacking a young girl, flashed unexpectedly into his mind. "Not. . . again. . ." Shiro growled as he dropped the Gikongan that he held in his hand and then gripped his head with both hands.

"Shiro-chan!" Kasumi cried out as the Hollow approached her friend.

Shiro gave no indication that he'd heard the words spoken to him by his best friend and he seemed to have forgotten the presence of the Hollow. The beast bared its fangs and took a few steps toward the young boy and still Shiro didn't look up, didn't even make a single move to defend himself.

"Oh no!"

Kasumi didn't know what exactly was wrong with her friend but what she did know was that she had to do something before the young boy ended up dead. Pulling back her sleeve Kasumi exposed a small, silver cross which she quickly flipped up into her palm. The young girl was enveloped in a bright aura and a glowing yellow bow appeared in her hand. The Hollow made a move to attack Shiro but before the attack made contact Kasumi released her grip on the bow string and shot the beast in the back with an arrow. She knew that this attack wouldn't kill the beast, since the only way to kill a Hollow was to shatter it's mask, however she was hoping that it would distract the beast and move it's attention away from Shiro. And, as luck would have it, her plan worked. Roaring its displeasure the Hollow turned its attention away from the young boy and toward Kasumi, who quickly took aim and fired another arrow. This arrow struck the Hollow's mask dead center and the creature exploded.

The bow that she held in her hand disappeared as Kasumi ran over to the spot where Shiro was now kneeling on the ground. The boy was still clutching his head with both hands and there was a blank look in his blue-green eyes.

"Shiro-chan," Kasumi called out as she dropped to her knees beside him.

She placed her hand on his shoulder and gave him a little shake and still there was no response from the boy. He remained in the same position, his hands clamped tightly on the sides of his head and his blue-green eyes blank and expressionless, opened wide and yet appearing to see nothing.

"TOUSHIROU!"

Shiro jumped slightly, causing Kasumi to pull her hand away quickly, and as the young boy turned to face Kasumi she watched as the blank expression left his eyes to be replaced by a look of complete and utter confusion.

"What happened Shiro-chan?" Kasumi asked, her voice filled with concern, as she placed her hand back on his shoulder in a comforting gesture. "You were almost killed by a Hollow just now."

"I think. . . I think I'm going crazy," Shiro said, shaking his head in an attempt to clear his vision. "I keep having these visions and it's really weird. They're almost like memories but they're not things I've ever seen or experienced. They're like someone else's memories, that's the only way to describe it. I'm really confused."

"Come on Shiro-chan," Kasumi said, getting to her feet and offering him her hand. "I think we should get you home."

Shiro shook his head once more, reached over and picked up the Gikongan that he had dropped earlier, and then grasped the hand that she was holding out to him. Kasumi pulled her friend to his feet and then together the two of them made their way to Shiro's house. When they arrived they found the place deserted however they weren't surprised since that wasn't anything too unusual. Shiro's parents were often gone when the two kids got home from school.

"I guess they had a mission or something," Shiro said as he and Kasumi entered the house. "Look Kasumi I know I told you that I'd help you study for your test, and I still will, but I feel lousy so I'm going to lie down for a few minutes, okay?"

Kasumi nodded and watched as Shiro deposited his messenger bag in a corner and then collapsed onto the sofa. Within minutes Shiro had lost consciousness and, slightly concerned for her friend, Kasumi walked over and gazed down at him. There were drops of sweat on the side of Shiro's face and Kasumi quickly went to the bathroom, ran some cold water over a wash cloth and then returned to the spot where her friend lay. Kneeling beside her best friend, Kasumi folded the damp cloth and gently placed it across Shiro's forehead.

"Oh Shiro-chan. . ."

* * *

A couple of hours passed and still Shiro didn't wake up. Kasumi had tried to awaken him a couple of times, to no avail, and she was really worried about her friend at this point however she didn't know what she could do for him. All she could think of was to keep replacing the damp compress that she had across his forehead and wait for him to wake up.

Kasumi was still sitting on the floor beside the sofa when she heard the sound of the front door being opened. She glanced toward the door that led out of the living room and, after a few minutes passed, Shiro's mom appeared in the doorway.

"Kasumi," Rukia said softly as she peered into the room.

"Rukia-san," Kasumi said, getting to her feet. "There's something really wrong with Shiro."

Immediately concerned, Rukia quickly walked across the room and leaned over her son. She gently touched the boy on the shoulder and gave him a little shake however Shiro didn't stir. "Shiro," she called out to him, shaking him a little harder. "Come on Shiro, wake up." Still the boy didn't stir. Rukia turned back to Kasumi, a questioning look in her eyes. "What happened to him?"

"We were on our way home from school when we were attacked by a Hollow," Kasumi explained to her best friend's mother. "And at first Shiro-chan was all excited about fighting it but then he suddenly got this strange look in his eyes, grabbed his head and fell to his knees. I had to kill the Hollow and then, when I asked Shiro-chan what had happened to him, he said that he thought he was going crazy. He said that he sees these visions, like someone else's memories."

"I see."

Kasumi turned to her best friend's mom, a concerned expression in her blue eyes. "What's wrong with him Rukia-san? I'm really worried."

Gazing down into the young girl's eyes Rukia was torn. _"Should I tell her what's really going on with Shiro? After all, she's his best friend and she's really worried about him. But if I tell her, will she tell him?" I don't know what to do."_

Kasumi saw the conflict in Rukia's eyes and immediately knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that Shiro's mom knew what was wrong with him. Gazing up into the woman's face with a pleading look in her eyes, Kasumi said, "Please tell me what's wrong with him."

"Come with me Kasumi," Rukia said, her decision made. "There's something you and I need to discuss."

Kasumi got up to follow Rukia however her gaze shifted back to Shiro.

"He'll be okay," Rukia assured her. "Come on."

Kasumi nodded and followed Rukia out of the living room. Rukia led the way upstairs to the office that she and Ichigo shared and, opening the door, she motioned for Kasumi to enter the room. Kasumi obeyed and Rukia followed her inside, closing the door behind them.

Rukia sat down in her desk chair and motioned for Kasumi to sit in Ichigo's. Once the young girl was seated and facing her, Rukia cleared her throat. "Now Kasumi, there's something important that I have to tell you but before that I need your word that you won't tell Shiro anything that I'm about to say. It's really important that you keep the secret that I'm about to share with you."

"But why can't I. . ." Kasumi began but Rukia held up her hand, effectively halting the young girl in mid-sentence. There was an intense look in the older woman's eyes as she gazed down at the young girl intently. "Promise me."

Kasumi didn't like making promises like this, promises that she didn't know she'd be able to keep, however she really wanted to know what was wrong with her best friend and there was no other way to find out so she reluctantly nodded. "Okay I promise."

"The visions that Shiro told you about really are someone else's memories," Rukia said, her gaze focused intently on Kasumi. "You know about Soul Society and the war that was fought to protect it and the world of the living right?"

Kasumi nodded. Her parents had both been involved in the war and her dad had told her about it during one of their training sessions together. A group of rogue captains from the Seireitei had led a group of evolved Hollow in a rebellion against Soul Society.

"Well we lost several Shinigami in the final battle," Rukia explained, a far away look in her eyes. "One of those we lost was a captain named Toushirou Hitsugaya and our little Shiro-chan is the reincarnation of that captain. The visions that he's having are actually the late captain's memories. Based on what we know about the process of reincarnation we can only assume that something went wrong with the process in Shiro's case. He shouldn't have these memories and yet he does."

Kasumi gasped. "Don't you think you should tell him? Shiro-chan thinks he's losing his mind."

Rukia sighed. She'd known that Kasumi would feel this way, which was one reason why she'd had her doubts about telling the young girl the truth. Somehow she had to convince Kasumi that keeping the secret was the best thing for Shiro. "We can't tell him because the knowledge could trigger a mental breakdown and cause him to lose all sense of self. The mind is a fragile thing and it's highly possible that this knowledge could completely destroy Shiro."

"So who else knows about this?" Kasumi asked out of curiosity.

A guilty expression appeared on Rukia's face and it was obvious to Kasumi that her best friend's mom was dreading the answer to this particular question. "Well now that you're in on the secret, pretty much everyone except Shiro knows about it at this point."

"He's gonna be mad when he finds out," Kasumi said, a mental image of her friend's reaction appearing unbidden in her mind.

"I know," Rukia said, fully aware that at some point her son would learn the truth and that he wouldn't be happy with the fact that they'd kept the knowledge from him. "I just hope he can accept the truth when he does find out otherwise it could destroy him."

Privately Kasumi thought this was a prime example of why they should tell Shiro the truth since it would be easier to take coming from the people he cares for the most. However at the same time she really did understand Rukia's reluctance to do so. Shiro's parents were worried about him and just wanted to protect him.

"I'll keep my word," Kasumi said softly, even though it was the last thing in the world that she wanted to agree to. "I won't tell Shiro-chan any of this."

"Thank you Kasumi," Rukia said softly.

"You know he's been asleep since we got home from school," Kasumi said, feeling the need to address one more concern that she had about her friend. "Is that normal?"

"The head of the Seireitei Medical Corp, Captain Unohana, told us that after each episode Shiro's mind needs time to recover and process what he saw. She said that's why he sleeps so much afterward. It happens every time."

Kasumi nodded, reassured by Rukia's words. "I'm going to go and check on him."

Rukia nodded and watched as the young girl got to her feet and left the office. There was a concerned expression in her eyes as the door closed behind Kasumi. _"I hope I didn't just make a huge mistake."_

Kasumi made her way downstairs and when she entered the living room she saw that Shiro was sitting up on the sofa, although he still looked half asleep. He glanced toward her as she entered the room and she offered him a smile. "Good evening, sleepy head."

"Why didn't you wake me?" Shiro asked groggily, gazing over at Kasumi through half open eyes.

Kasumi smiled, deciding not to tell him that she'd tried several times with no success. "You looked like you could use the rest and I couldn't bare to disturb you."

Shiro glanced over at the clock that was hanging on the wall and his eyes widened in horror. "Seven o'clock! You should have woken me, I said that I'd help you study."

"It's okay Shiro-chan, I studied while you were sleeping," Kasumi lied in an attempt to calm him down. "So if you could just go over the material with me once then I think I'll be okay."

Shiro nodded and Kasumi grabbed her backpack from the corner and sat down beside him. Kasumi pulled out her history book and flipped it open to the chapter that she would be tested on the following day. Then, once she'd found the appropriate page, she handed the book to Shiro, hoping as she did so that she wasn't about to be caught in a lie.

However, much to her relief, Kasumi found that she knew the material better than she'd thought she would and was able to answer most of Shiro's questions satisfactorily. The two kids spent an hour going over questions that might be on the test and then Kasumi took her text book back from him.

"I should probably get home," Kasumi said. "If I'm much later they'll start to worry."

Shiro nodded. "See you tomorrow. And I'm sorry that I fell asleep."

Kasumi smiled. "It's not a problem. See you tomorrow."

* * *

"We need to talk," Rukia said as Ichigo walked in the front door. She'd been waiting all evening for her husband to return home and she'd cornered him as soon as he walked through the door.

"I don't like the sound of that," Ichigo said warily as he removed his jacket and gazed over at his wife with a look that was something like a cross between curiosity and fear. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No," Rukia replied.

"Did your son?"

"No," Rukia said.

Ichigo shrugged. "Well I'm all out of ideas. Why do we need to talk?"

"Shiro had another episode today," Rukia informed him, a serious expression in her eyes. "And this time Kasumi was with him and saw the whole thing. When I got home she told me what happened and then she asked me what was wrong with him."

"Damn," Ichigo swore. "So what did you tell her?"

"The truth," Rukia replied.

Ichigo's eyes widened in disbelief. "Are you sure that was a good idea?"

"Honestly, no." Rukia replied, gazing over at her husband. "But she's his best friend and she was worried sick about him. And you know as well as I do that this probably won't be the last time she sees it happen so I decided that it was better for her to know the truth. But I made her promise not to tell Shiro and I explained the reason why. I think she'll keep her word."

"I hope you're right," Ichigo said.

"Me too," Rukia said, fully realizing what was at stake and what they stood to lose if Kasumi told Shiro what she had discovered.

* * *

Early the next morning Shiro walked the short distance from his house to Kasumi's and when he arrived he found his friend waiting for him at the end of her driveway. "Good morning Shiro-chan," she called out brightly as she fell into step beside him.

"Good morning," Shiro said softly. "Listen Kasumi, I'm really sorry about yesterday. I promised to help you study for your test and then I fell asleep, not to mention the fact that I completely zoned out during a battle."

"I told you that it was okay Shiro," Kasumi said, not really sure why her friend thought this was such a big deal. "It's not a big deal."

"Yes it is," Shiro asserted, gazing over at his friend with an intense look in his blue-green eyes. "The fact that I broke a promise not withstanding, I put you in danger when I zoned out while fighting the Hollow. You could have been injured."

Kasumi opened her mouth to remind Shiro that she was just as capable of fighting as he was and that she'd saved HIM from the Hollow, however the look in his eyes stopped the words before they formed. Shiro was really upset over what had happened the previous day and Kasumi felt really sorry for him.

"I have no idea what happened," Shiro said, a strange look in his blue-green eyes. "But that wasn't the first time I've had those visions. I have no idea what causes it to happen and thus have no way to stop it. I really think I'm losing my mind Kasumi."

The note of torment in his voice caused Kasumi's heart to ache for him. She would give anything to be able to tell Shiro exactly what was happening to him but she'd given her word to Rukia and she would keep her promise. If telling Shiro that he was the reincarnation of a Shinigami captain could cause him to completely lose his mind Kasumi knew that she couldn't take that chance. No matter how much she may want to tell him the truth as long as this was a possible outcome she knew that she could not. It simply wasn't worth the risk.

_"I'm sorry Shiro-chan," _she thought to herself, tears glistening in her eyes as she gazed over at him. _"I really wish I could tell you what's wrong but I can't. Please understand." _

Unfortunately Shiro chose this moment to gaze over at his friend and his eyes narrowed when he saw the look on her face and the tears that were glistening in her blue eyes. "What's up with that look?"

"Nothing," Kasumi said quickly, forcing her face into a neutral expression.

"Uh huh," Shiro said, not sounding convinced. He knew his friend well enough to be able to tell that she was lying to him however he made the decision not to press the matter. "Well we'd better pick up the pace or we'll be late for school and I know how much that would upset you. I've gotten in trouble for that before and I have no desire to do it again."

Kasumi smiled and the two kids continued on their way to school in silence.

A/N- I would once again like to extend my thanx to everyone who is reading and who enjoys this fic. Hope you enjoyed this latest installment. Until next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	20. Substitute Captain

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach.

Chapter Twenty- Substitute Captain

"So what can you tell us about Toushirou's progress Hyata-sensei?" Ichigo asked his son's teacher, Hideo Hyata as he shook the older man's hand. It was open house day at the school where their son attended classes and both Ichigo and Rukia had taken time out from their busy schedules to visit their son's classroom.

"Toushirou-kun has top grades in every subject," Hyata-sensei replied, his gaze shifting to the young white-haired boy who stood between Ichigo and Rukia. "He causes a little trouble every now and then but nothing major."

Ichigo glanced down at his son, who merely shrugged.

"We'll see if we can't do something about that," Ichigo told the teacher. "Thank you for the progress report Hyata-sensei."

This said Ichigo and his small family left the classroom and made their way out of the school building. Once they were outside Ichigo paused and gazed down at his son, one eyebrow raised. "A little trouble every now and then huh Shiro? Sounds like he has it better than the rest of us do."

Shiro didn't comment on his dad's accusation but instead merely smiled.

"Well come on," Rukia said, assuming her usual role of shepherd. "Let's head for home."

Ichigo and Shiro both nodded and together the small family began the short walk back to their house. They hadn't gotten very far however when they all felt the combined reiatsu of a large group of Hollow. Seconds later there was a loud roar and then a reptilian Hollow appeared as though from nowhere.

"Watch out!" Ichigo yelled, pushing Rukia and Shiro out of the path of the beast's barbed tail. The Squad Five Captain quickly pulled his Gikongan from his pocket and assumed his Shinigami form. He grabbed the handle of Zangetsu and the white cloth that was wrapped around the blade unraveled as he quickly drew the sword.

"Getsuga Tenshou!"

The Hollow disintegrated in a burst of light however Ichigo was unable to sheath his zanpaktou. It seemed that the Hollow that he'd just killed had friends and those friends were quickly surrounding them.

"Keep out of the way Toushirou," Rukia ordered her son in a commanding voice as she used her own Gikongan. She quickly drew her sword and, together with her husband, began to slay the Hollow.

Shiro watched as his parents fought, slightly impressed by their skills, however it didn't seem like they were making any real progress. In fact, for every Hollow that they killed, two more seemed to appear as though out of nowhere.

"Where are they all coming from?" Rukia asked as she slaughtered three Hollow with one blow.

"I have no idea," Ichigo replied as he swung his own sword and caused a group of about twenty Hollow to simultaneously explode. "I'd think Shiro had something to do with it if not for the fact that he's been with us for the past couple of hours and I know for a fact that he's actually using the barrier kidou for once. I really think we should find out though. Something major must be happening to lure out this many Hollow. It's definitely worth checking into but first we have to get rid of these guys."

"I can help with that," Shiro called out, suddenly remembering a kidou that he'd learned from Hinamori that was absolutely perfect for this situation. "Close your eyes."

Neither Ichigo nor Rukia had any idea what their son was planning to do however they did as he requested and quickly closed their eyes.

"Prism burst!" Shiro held out his hands and the area was immediately illuminated by a burst of bright lights, comprised of all the colors of the rainbow. The Hollow were immediately, but unfortunately only temporarily, blinded by the lights and Shiro called out to his parents, "Quickly! Now's your chance! Kill them now while they can't see it coming."

Ichigo and Rukia took full advantage of the disoriented state of the Hollow and captain and vice-captain made short work of the remaining beasts.

"Thanks Shiro," Ichigo said as he and Rukia rejoined the son.

"No problem," Shiro said with a grin.

Rukia stared down at her son, her eyes widened in amazement. "When did you learn prism burst Toushirou? That's a very advanced kidou."

"Momo taught it to me a couple of months ago," Shiro said distractedly, his gaze focused on the horizon. "And I think it's a little too soon to celebrate. Here comes some more of them."

"Dammit!" Ichigo swore as he once again lifted his zanpaktou. "They're headed west but what I want to know is what they're after."

"You and me both," Rukia said, holding up her own sword. "Looks like you aren't going to make your meeting Captain."

"I'd completely forgotten about that," Ichigo said, groaning under his breath. "But this is more important." As he said this Ichigo pulled his left arm from his captain's coat and then, once he'd transferred Zangetsu to his left arm, he removed his right arm. Then, once he was free of his haori, he tossed it to his son who was standing a few feet away.

Shiro easily caught the coat and then he focused his gaze on his dad, confusion evident in his blue-green eyes. "And what exactly am I supposed to do with this?"

"Go to the meeting for me Shiro," Ichigo said as he and Rukia prepared to battle the second wave of Hollow that were rapidly approaching them. "Explain to Ukitake what's going on and. . . um. . . take some notes for me or something."

Shiro hesitated, not really wanting to leave his parents while they were surrounded by a massive group of Hollow.

"Go Toushirou!" Ichigo ordered as the Hollow began to close in on them.

With one final glance at his parents Shiro shrugged and ran off. Then, once he was out of his parents' line of sight, he pulled out his own Gikongan and used it to assume his Shinigami form. He knew that he could travel faster in his soul form and he didn't want to be late for his dad's meeting, not that Ichigo wasn't constantly late to those kinds of things. "Go home as fast as you can and make sure that you stay clear of the Hollow," Shiro ordered the artificial soul that temporarily had control of his body before he pulled on his dad's haori and then used his flash-step to disappear.

Shiro quickly made his way back home and, once there, he made his way downstairs to the Senkaimon. The young boy placed his hand on the side of the gate, used a burst of reiatsu to open the portal to Soul Society, and then stepped through.

* * *

Once his son had left the battle ground Ichigo immediately placed his hand in front of his face, causing a white and red mask to appear. Now in his Hollow persona the Squad Five Captain proceeded to lay waste to the entire group of Hollow. Rukia, on the other hand, was no longer required for the battle and merely stood back and watched as her husband utterly annihilated his opponents.

"Now," Ichigo said, propping Zangetsu on his shoulder and turning back to face his wife, the mask on his face exploding as he spoke. "The Hollow menace has been taken care of, all we need to do is find out what the hell is attracting them."

Rukia nodded and together the two officers used the flash-step to travel in the direction from which they could feel a faint reiatsu radiating. When the two arrived on the other side of town they saw a lone boy walking down the sidewalk, followed a short distance back by a Hollow that was trying to be inconspicuous and failing miserably. Ichigo rolled his eyes as he swung Zangetsu and called out, "Getsuga Tenshou!"

A flash of light shot from the tip of Ichigo's zanpaktou, causing the Hollow to vaporize and also causing the young boy to turn around and stare at the two Shinigami who were standing mere feet away from him.

Rukia's eyes widened as she stared at the young boy, who appeared to be a few years older than Shiro, really seeing him for the first time. "Ichigo. . . do you see. . ."

"What the hell?" Ichigo's eyes were wide in disbelief; apparently he did indeed see the same thing that his wife saw.

Dressed in the same school uniform that Shiro wore, this young boy had slightly shaggy brown hair and piercing brown eyes. The two Shinigami stared at the kid in disbelief. Nothing could have prepared them for this sight.

"Hey," Heikichi called out as his gaze focused on the two Shinigami who were staring at him in wide eyed amazement. "Thanks for that. I knew that thing was following me and I was really hoping that someone would show up, granted I figured it would be my friend Kurosaki but I'll take whatever help I can get."

"You're friend. . ."

Heikichi nodded to the orange haired man who was standing a few feet away. "Toushirou Kurosaki, he's in my class at school and he's like you guys. . . My name's Heikichi by the way."

"Ichigo," Rukia said, pulling her memory modifier from the fold of her shihakusho. "Shiro must have messed up somehow."

"Well fix it," Ichigo said. "And then you and I have to take a trip to Soul Society."

Rukia nodded, knowing that the situation must be grave indeed if Ichigo was suggesting that the two of them take a trip to Soul Society. She walked over to the young boy and held up the memory modifier, saying as she did so, "Can you look at this for me please Heikichi?"

"Sure why not," Heikichi said with a shrug.

The young boy focused his gaze on the device that Rukia held in her hand and, after a puff of smoke, his eyes once again slid out of focus. Rukia caught the kid before he slumped to the ground and she gazed over at her husband. "Now what do we do with him? I have no idea where this kid belongs."

Ichigo's gaze swept around his surroundings and he saw a police officer. "Get back into your body. I have an idea."

Both Shinigami quickly summoned their gigais, using a nifty little device that Urahara had installed, and once they were back to 'normal' Ichigo ran over to the police officer, waving his arms like an idiot. "Officer help! This young boy just collapsed and we don't know what to do."

The police officer quickly rushed over and took charge of Heikichi, freeing Ichigo and Rukia to make their way back home and debate what they should do about this young boy who so resembled one of their former rivals.

* * *

Shiro knew that he'd be cutting it close and he dashed across the Seireitei, determined to make it to the Captains' meeting on time. When the boy finally arrived at the Squad One barracks he quickly made his way down the hall to the conference room. Slightly out of breath, Shiro knocked lightly on the door before he opened it and stepped inside the conference room.

Twelve of the thirteen captains were assembled in the conference room and all eyes immediately focused on the new arrival. They were all expecting to see Ichigo, who was often late for meetings, and the entire group issued a collective gasp as their eyes fell upon Shiro. Dressed in the sleeveless white haori and wearing Hyourinmaru secured across his back as always, Shiro really did appear eerily similar to the late Captain Hitsugaya. The only problem with the picture was that Ichigo's haori was way too big for the young boy and was almost dragging the ground.

Matsumoto's gaze was focused on the young boy who was walking across the room toward the group of captains and it was almost as though she were once again seeing her captain walking toward her. Shiro walked with his head held high and he exuded the same confidence in himself that Hitsugaya had possessed.

_"What in the world is going on?"_ Head Captain Ukitake thought to himself as he watched the young boy walk across the room. His first thought was that Matsumoto was behind this little stunt however one look at her confused face told him otherwise.

Shiro's gaze swept around the room and everyone quickly hid their surprise and forced normal expressions back onto their faces.

"Toushirou," Head Captain Ukitake said, a questioning look in his eyes. "Did your dad decide to relinquish Squad Five or did you defeat him in battle?"

"Neither," Shiro replied, actually enjoying the mental image that question summoned. "He and Mom are tied up at the moment fighting a massive group of Hollow back in the world of the living. He sent me to tell you what's going on and to catch the highlights of the meeting."

"Alright," Ukitake said, thinking that Shiro would actually probably be less disruptive than Ichigo. "For the purposes of this meeting you're the Substitute Captain of Squad Five Toushirou."

"Cool," Shiro said, a smirk appearing on his face.

"You can stand over there by Rangiku," Ukitake said, gesturing toward the spot where the Squad Ten Captain was standing.

Shiro nodded and took the place that Ukitake had indicated. Matsumoto glanced down at the boy and smiled. "That looks good on you Shiro-chan."

"Thanks Ran-san," Shiro said, offering the Squad Ten Captain a smile.

"I can see you as a Captain someday," Matsumoto told him, a strange and faraway look in her eyes.

Shiro scoffed at that, rolling his eyes at the thought. "I don't think I have the necessary qualifications to become a Captain."

"Oh I think you're more qualified than you realize," Matsumoto said with a knowing smile.

"Alright everyone," Ukitake said. "Let's get down to business. I want to keep this meeting short."

Everyone's attention, even Shiro's, quickly shifted to the front of the room and the meeting began. True to his word Ukitake did indeed keep it short, relatively speaking, and half an hour after the meeting began the Head Captain called it to an end. "Thank you for your attention. You're all dismissed."

The room's occupants immediately began to disperse, all except one that is. Shiro turned toward the door however he suddenly grasped the sides of his head and slowly sank to his knees. In his mind he saw a group of people assembled in what looked like the same room in which he was currently located and these people were also wearing the white haoris that marked them as captains. Some of the people seemed familiar to Shiro while some of them he did not know. And one of them looked strangely like. . .

"Toushirou!"

Shiro immediately snapped out of his trance and saw, through the haze, that Ukitake and Matsumoto were both kneeling beside him, identical looks of concern on their faces. "I'm okay," he said quickly, getting shakily to his feet.

"What did you see?" Head Captain Ukitake asked, knowing the signs of one of the boy's visions when he saw them.

"It was nothing," Shiro said, shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders, trying not to think about the fact that one of the people in his vision had looked like an older version of his classmate. "Just a bunch of old people dressed in white coats."

"Maybe I should escort Shiro-chan to Squad Four," Matsumoto suggested, concern for the young boy evident in her tone.

"I think that. . ." Ukitake began but Shiro cut him off, his eyes narrowed in disapproval. "That won't be necessary. I'm fine and I really have to get home."

Matsumoto glanced at the Head Captain, a questioning look in her eyes, unsure of what she should do. It wouldn't be hard for the two of them to restrain the boy and take him to Squad Four by force however she wasn't so sure that that would be a good idea, considering who it was that they were dealing with.

"Very well," Ukitake said with a nod, although it was with the utmost reluctance that he was going to allow the young boy to leave. "But I need for you to stay for a few minutes more. I have a letter for your dad back in my office and I would like for you to take it to him if you don't mind. Just stay here and I'll go and get it."

Shiro nodded and watched as the Head Captain left the conference room. Then, once Ukitake was gone, the young boy turned his attention back to Matsumoto. "You know Ran-san, it seems to me that being a Captain is kinda boring."

"Hmm," Matsumoto said, a thoughtful expression on her face. "It is boring at times," she admitted. "But it has it's moments."

Shiro's thoughts flashed to a battle with a large Hollow. The beast had been after a group of children but he stopped it's attack with one hand and then effortlessly destroyed it. _"That was nothing for a Captain."_

Now more confused than ever Shiro shook his head in an effort to rid himself both of the unwanted vision and the coming blackness that was threatening to overwhelm him.

"Are you sure you're alright Shiro-chan?" Matsumoto asked, concern for the boy still evident in her tone as well as her expression.

"Just wonderful," Shiro replied, his voice somewhat sarcastic however he didn't have time to further complain since the door of the conference room slid open at that moment and Head Captain Ukitake rejoined them.

"Here you are Toushirou," Ukitake said, handing the boy a sealed envelope. "If you would be so kind as to deliver this to your father then I would be eternally in your debt."

"No problem," Shiro said as he placed the envelope in the fold of his shirt. He bowed respectfully to the two officers and then left the room.

"These visions of his are becoming more frequent," Matsumoto commented once the boy had left the room. "And more things seem to be triggering them. Ordinary, every day things."

Ukitake nodded, having noticed the same thing himself. "It's becoming a real problem but I don't think there's really anything that we can do about it at this point. Retsu still thinks that it would be dangerous to tell Shiro the truth about the visions and I don't want to do anything that might risk Shiro's sanity."

'I understand sir, " Matsumoto said in a quiet voice. Then she forced herself to revert back to her usual, ultra cheery self. "I can't believe Ichigo actually sent his kid to the Captains' meeting to fill in for him," she said in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"I can," Ukitake said, shaking his head. "It's the height of irony but Squad Five hasn't functioned normally since it was headed by Aizen."

"To borrow one of Shiro's favorite phrases, that's really messed up," Matsumoto said.

"I know," Ukitake said. "But it's true."

* * *

As Shiro made his way up the stairs from the basement, a full account of the Captains' meeting in his head and ready to give to his dad, he thought he heard voices. Once upstairs he followed the voices and found his parents standing in the middle of the living room.

"You know if you'd finished with the Hollow then you could have came to the meeting," Shiro said, gazing up at his dad reproachfully. "It's not like you aren't usually late anyway."

"We just got back about five minutes ago," Ichigo said in his own defense, trying not to give away the fact that he was lying. He and Rukia had in fact been back for awhile and had been discussing what they should do about their son's young classmate. "And we found out what was causing all of the Hollow to gather. Or, to be more precise, who was causing them to gather."

"And?" Shiro prompted.

"Turns out it was one of your classmates," Ichigo told his son. "The one that you told us couldn't come to the open house today, Heikichi or whatever his name was."

Shiro groaned under his breath, shaking his head. "I really should have known," he thought to himself. Heikichi was turning out to be more of a Hollow magnet than he was. "So why are all of these Hollow going after him all of a sudden?" Shiro asked his parents. "And why do they always wait until he's walking home from school?" Shiro paused briefly and before his parents had a chance to come up with an answer he figured out the answer for himself. "You guys had Orihime-san place a barrier around the school building didn't you?"

Rukia nodded and Ichigo said, "Of course we did. We couldn't have anything happening to the two of you while you were at school."

"Of course you did," Shiro repeated, not sure why he was even the slightest bit surprised by this knowledge. In hindsight he really should have expected it, since neither he nor Kasumi had ever been attacked by Hollow while at school.

"Don't worry Shiro-chan," Rukia said, seeking to change the subject before a fight broke out. "We used the memory modification device on your classmate."

_"Won't work," _Shiro thought to himself with certainty but that was okay since Heikichi already knew everything about the Hollow and Shinigami and Soul Society and had thus far kept his promise to not say anything to anyone. And besides, it wasn't as though anyone would believe him if he did choose to tell the secret.

"So how was the meeting?" Ichigo asked his son. "Boring as hell wasn't it?"

"Ichigo!" Rukia admonished, gazing at her husband with a reproachful look in her eyes.

"Pretty much," was Shiro's reply, which caused his mother to give him a reproachful look as well. Shiro shrugged it off however and proceeded to give his dad a highly detailed verbal account of everything that had been discussed in the meeting.

"Damn," Ichigo said when the boy had finished his report. "And without notes even."

"You should learn to pay attention that well Ichigo," Rukia said, impressed. "You could learn something from your son."

"Speaking of notes, Grandpa Ukitake sent you this," Shiro said, pulling the envelope from the fold of his shihakusho. He handed it to his dad and then turned to leave. "Now if you'll excuse me I have a test tomorrow that I should probably study for." This said, Shiro left the living room.

"A reprimand for not coming to the meeting," Ichigo said as he tore open the envelope that Shiro had given him. "How much you wanna bet?"

Not really being the betting type Rukia merely shrugged.

Ichigo pulled a folded piece of paper from the envelope, which he quickly unfolded to reveal Ukitake's neat, no nonsense, and highly legible writing. Ichigo quickly scanned the letter and then he turned his attention back to his wife.

Rukia gazed at her husband expectantly. She was fairly sure that the letter hadn't contained a reprimand since Ichigo hadn't immediately began cursing and complaining and she was curious about it's contents.

"Shiro had another one of his visions after the Captains' meeting," Ichigo said in answer to his wife's unspoken question. "Ukitake thought that we'd like to know. He said that Matsumoto tried to get the kid to go to Squad Four but apparently Shiro was having none of it."

"That's absolutely shocking," Rukia said, her tone slightly sarcastic. "Guess I should probably go upstairs and check on him."

"I'll come with you," Ichigo said, knowing exactly what they'd find when they reached their son's room. "And after that we'll take our little trip to Soul Society."

Rukia nodded and together the two of them made their way upstairs to Shiro's room. When they reached the boy's closed door Rukia knocked softly however several minutes passed and they received no reply. Rukia knocked again, slightly louder this time and called out, "Shiro-chan."

Still no reply.

"Alright Toushirou," Ichigo called out. "We're coming in." This said, Ichigo opened the door and he and his wife stepped inside their son's bedroom.

Shiro was seated at his desk, his arms crossed over an open book and his head cradled in his arms. The boy was still in soul form and he still wore Ichigo's captain's coat. His physical body on the other hand was lying on the bed, still possessed by the artificial soul.

Rukia smiled at this sight. "Ichigo," she said quietly. "Go to our room and get the camera, the one that Rangiku gave us from Soul Society. She'll absolutely love this."

Ichigo nodded, knowing exactly where Rukia was coming from. Sitting at the desk and dressed in the captain's coat Shiro would look just like Captain Hitsugaya. He left the room, returning a few minutes later with the camera which he promptly handed to his wife. Rukia held up the camera and snapped a couple of pictures of her sleeping son. Then she placed the camera down on the bedside table and gently picked up the boy. "Come on Shiro-chan, time for bed."

Rukia knew that there would be no waking her son so she merely placed him on the bed beside his body.

Ichigo actually shuddered at the sight. "Two Shiros. Now that's a disturbing thought."

Rukia laughed and pushed her husband toward the door. "Come on. Let's let him sleep."

"Let him sleep," Ichigo repeated, shaking his head. "You could set off a bomb in the middle of this room and he wouldn't wake up."

"Now you know he can't help that," Rukia said in her son's defense.

"I know," Ichigo said. "And I'm not saying it's a bad thing. I'm merely pointing out the fact that there's absolutely no danger of us waking him up."

Rukia shook her head and pulled her husband from the room.

Once the two Shinigami had left their son's room they quickly made their way downstairs to the living room. Then Rukia turned to her husband, a questioning look in her eyes. "So what are we going to do about that boy? Should we tell Soul Society about him?"

Ichigo nodded. "I think Ukitake at least has the right to know."

"I agree," Rukia said. "So shall we take a trip to Soul Society?"

Ichigo nodded once again, despite the fact that he had no desire what so ever to travel to the Seireitei, and he pulled his communicator from his pocket. "Let me just get Kaiya to come over here just in case, by some strange miracle, Shiro wakes up or more likely the place gets attacked by Hollow and then we'll go and give Ukitake the news."

Less than five minutes after she was summoned by her captain Kaiya arrived at the Kurosaki home. Ichigo informed his subordinate that he and Rukia had to take a trip to the Seireitei and asked her if she would stay with Shiro, which she quickly agreed to do.

"Thanks Kaiya," Ichigo said as he and Rukia turned to leave. "We'll try not to be gone too long but I make no guarantees."

"Don't worry about it sir," Kaiya said with a smile. "It's not a problem."

The two Squad Five officers nodded and then quickly made their way down to the Senkaimon that was located in the basement. Rukia activated the portal and they quickly stepped through, wasting no time. Upon arriving in Soul Society they practically ran the short distance to the Squad One barracks and when they arrived they saw Head Captain Ukitake leaving his office in the company of his best friend, Squad Eight Captain Shunsui Kyouraku.

Always the perceptive one Ukitake noticed the identical looks on Ichigo and Rukia's faces and he immediately stopped in his tracks. "Is there something wrong?"

"We're not exactly sure yet," Ichigo replied. "But we'd like to have a word with you if it isn't too much trouble."

Ukitake immediately nodded his head, knowing that for Ichigo to act this business like something serious had to be going on. The Head Captain gestured back toward his office and the two Squad Five officers nodded and stepped inside.

"I'll be in my office when you're finished Jyuu," Kyouraku said, knowing that his best friend had business that he needed to attend to.

Ukitake nodded to his best friend before he followed Ichigo and Rukia into his office, closing the door behind himself as he went. He quickly walked across the room and sat down on the sofa that was positioned in the center and was soon joined by the Squad Five Captain and his vice-captain. "So what exactly happened today? Shiro said that you guys were fighting a massive group of Hollow and I take it by your appearance here in the Seireitei that something serious happened after you sent your son here."

"You could say that," Ichigo said, his gaze focused intently on Ukitake. "After Shiro left I used my Hollow transformation to make short work of the Hollow and then Rukia and I followed a faint reiatsu until we found this boy walking down the street. He was being followed by a Hollow, which I quickly killed and when he turned around he could see us."

"That's interesting," Ukitake said.

"That's not even the part that brought us here," Rukia said, taking over from her husband. "This happened once before, only it was Shiro and Kasumi who saved him the first time. Then Shiro asked to borrow the memory modifier because the boy is one of his classmates and he could see him in soul form. We didn't think much about this occurrence until we saw the boy today and found out who he was."

"So this boy has high spiritual awareness?" Ukitake asked.

"This boy is Aizen," Ichigo stated. "Or at least the reincarnated version."

Ukitake's eyes widened in surprise as he stared at the Squad Five Captain, thinking that this had to be some kind of joke, a really bad joke. And yet at the same time he knew that it couldn't be. No joke would have brought both the Squad Five Captain and vice-captain to the Seireitei this late in the evening.

"He doesn't seem to know anything about his former life," Rukia said. "And he and Shiro are actually friends but the way that he looks and the fact that he has spiritual awareness leaves no doubt in our minds that this boy is the reincarnation of Aizen."

"So what do you thing we should do?" Ukitake asked.

"I think we should keep an eye on this boy," Ichigo said. "The chances are really good that he's just a normal kid but there is always that chance. . ."

"I understand," Ukitake said, nodding his head. "Shall I dispatch someone to keep an eye on him?"

Ichigo shook his head. "I'll get some of my more trusted officers to take shifts. We should be able to handle anything that may come up."

"Alright," the Head Captain said. "But let me know if anything comes up."

"Of course sir," Rukia said as she and Ichigo got to their feet to leave.

A/N- Shiro as a captain, I'll bet that would be interesting. And apparently Hitsugaya wasn't the only one reincarnated after the war. Anyway, thanx once again to all of you who are reading and who like this story. Hope you enjoyed this latest installment and on a side note, my friend lieutenant-taijiya, wrote a companion piece to this which gives the back story for how Hinamori and Hisagi ended up together. You should really go and check it out, it's depressing but a really good story and it has some fluff at the end that makes the depressing parts easier to deal with. This is Hitsu-taichou and I approve this message.


	21. The Cultural Festival

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach.

Chapter Twenty-One - The Cultural Festival

"I think I'll just skip the whole thing," Shiro muttered darkly, more to himself than to his friend, as he and Kasumi made their way toward her house. "It's not like my grades are going to drop if I don't show up. For that matter, it's not like I would care if they did. Plus, even if none of that were an issue, there is the little fact that the festival is on a Saturday so they can't take attendance."

"You can't skip the cultural festival Shiro-chan," Kasumi argued, having already known that she would be forced to have this fight with him at some point. "You're class president, aren't you in charge of something? One of the activities or something like that?"

"We're supposed to decorate the courtyard," Shiro replied, without much enthusiasm, his thoughts going back to the job that his class had been assigned for the cultural festival. "And I'll fulfill my obligation to my classmates, even though I don't really want to, but that doesn't mean that I have to stick around and actually suffer through the festival. I could just show up early in the morning, do my job, and then leave. I really don't have to be there."

"Yes you do," Kasumi said, turning a pleading look in her best friend's direction. "This is one of the few times that we'll actually be able to hang out together while at school so you have to be there. And who knows, you might even have fun."

Shiro scoffed at that last statement from his friend. There wasn't even the slightest chance that he'd have fun at the festival and yet at the same time he knew without a doubt that he would go. Kasumi had asked it of him and he knew that if he didn't go then she would be sad and Shiro couldn't handle the thoughts of that. The boy sighed heavily; he'd been defeated yet again and he knew it.

Kasumi smiled as she heard Shiro's sigh of resignation, knowing that she'd won the argument. "Cheer up," Kasumi said, seizing her best friend's hand and pulling him along. "I'm sure it won't be as bad as you think."

"You're probably right," Shiro said, rolling his eyes in her direction. "It'll probably be worse."

"You're hopeless," Kasumi told him, shaking her head in exasperation. Her gaze shifted ahead to her house, which they were rapidly approaching, and she saw that her mother was waiting for them at the end of the drive way. She smiled as she saw her mom's happy face.

"Hello Kasumi-chan," Orihime called out as the two children approached the spot where she was standing at the end of the driveway.

"Hey Mom," Kasumi said with a smile, releasing her hold on Shiro's hand so that she could run over and give her mother a hug.

Orihime returned her daughter's hug and then turned her appraising gaze over to Shiro, who had stopped walking the moment Kasumi had released her hold on his hand and who now stood a few feet away. "And why is it that you look so unhappy Shiro-kun?"

Shiro shrugged, not really wanting to tell his friend's mom the reason for his unhappiness. It seemed kind of childish even to him and yet at the same time he really couldn't help the way he felt and he really didn't want to go to the festival. People for the most part annoyed him and being around large groups of them was never a pleasant experience.

"We're having a cultural festival at school in a couple of weeks," Kasumi explained when it became obvious that Shiro wasn't going to answer the question posed to him by her mother. She made it a point to avoid eye contact with her best friend as she filled her mother in on the situation and she could tell from the cold air that began to circulate around them that he wasn't particularly happy with her disclosure. "And for some reason Shiro-chan doesn't want to go."

"Why in the world don't you want to go Shiro-kun?" Orihime exclaimed, ignoring the chill wind that was blowing. "It sounds like so much fun."

Shiro was forced to smile slightly at Orihime's reaction and he was now fully aware of where Kasumi's enthusiasm had come from. Apparently it was genetic. "You can go in my place if you'd like Orihime-san."

"That's okay Shiro-kun," Orihime said, noticing the look of displeasure that her daughter was giving the young boy. "So have the two of you given any thoughts as to what you're going to wear to the festival? You're supposed to wear traditional outfits, right?"

Kasumi nodded, a look of excitement on her face. She always enjoyed dressing up and the thoughts of getting a new outfit excited her. "Yea and I was really hoping that Dad would make me a new kimono for the festival."

"I'm sure he will," Orihime said, offering her daughter a smile. "And I'm sure he'll make something for Shiro-kun as well." She offered the young boy a smile at this point and Shiro forced himself to return the smile, not revealing to her the fact that he'd actually been planning to wear his school uniform.

"That would be great!" Kasumi exclaimed, showing enough enthusiasm for the both of them.

"I'll talk to him and see what he says," Orihime said, offering the two kids another smile.

"Well I guess I'll head home," Shiro said before mother and daughter had the chance to make any more plans that involved him. Working hard to rein in his reiatsu and put a stop to the icy wind that he had caused earlier the boy turned to leave however he froze in his tracks as Orihime called out to him, "Wait a minute Shiro-kun. I just remembered, your mom called me earlier and asked if you could stay with us for awhile this evening. Apparently she and your dad had something that they needed to do and couldn't find anyone to stay with you."

Shiro groaned under his breath, really wishing that his parents would just let him stay home by himself. It wasn't as though he couldn't take care of himself, he'd been taking on Hollow since the age of seven. He didn't say any of this out loud however but merely turned around and walked back over to the spot where Kasumi was standing.

"Yay!" Kasumi said, grabbing her friend by the arm. "Come on Shiro-chan. We can go make plans for the festival."

Orihime chuckled softly to herself as the young boy reluctantly followed her daughter toward the house. He was going along willingly enough but the expression on his face told her that he'd rather be doing just about anything else.

* * *

"I still can't believe you're making me do this," Shiro grumbled as he came out of the guest bedroom dressed in his formal hakama and slowly came to stand in front of Kasumi. There was a frown on his face as he gazed into his friend's blue eyes. "I look ridiculous."

"Aw," Kasumi said as her gaze fell upon Shiro, who wore light blue hakama over a matching light blue kimono. A sleeveless, white haori with a dragon embroidered on the back in a slightly darker shade of blue completed the outfit. "I think you look cute."

"That's what I was afraid of," Shiro muttered, shaking his head.

"It'll be fine," Kasumi told him. "Now just go hang out in the living room while I get dressed. Then we'll go."

"Fine," Shiro said with a sigh and proceeded to make his way downstairs. On his way to the living room the young boy ran into Orihime, who was on her way up to help Kasumi get dressed, and the older woman's eyes widened as her gaze fell upon him. "Oh Shiro-kun you look absolutely adorable!"

Shiro groaned under his breath, wondering how many other people were going to tell him that. He briefly debated sneaking out the back door and going home but he knew that Kasumi had her heart set on the two of them going to the festival together and he also knew that she would be sad if he ran off. So, as much as he hated it, Shiro went into the living room and sat down on the sofa to wait for her. _"The things I do for my friend," _he thought to himself with a sigh.

"Shouldn't you already be at school?" a voice called out from the doorway, startling Shiro from his thoughts. "I thought you were in charge of the decorations."

Shiro glanced up and saw Uryu standing in the doorway. "We went early this morning, and I mean EARLY as in we watched the sun rise, and put up the decorations for the festival. And I left a couple of my classmates standing guard to make sure that nothing happens to them."

"Oh," Uryu said, then turned and walked away.

* * *

Twenty minutes later Kasumi descended the stairs to joined her best friend in the living room and Shiro's eyes widened as his gaze fell upon his best friend. Kasumi was dressed in a pale pink kimono, which was adorned with white flowers that Shiro identified as oleander blossoms, and she had a darker pink obi tied around her waist. Her hair was pulled up on top of her head, with little tendrils left to cascade around her face, and she also had matching flower blossoms in her hair.

"What do you think Shiro-chan?" Kasumi asked as she came over to the spot where her best friend sat. She twirled around a couple of times so that Shiro could see the entire outfit.

"I think you look weird," was Shiro's reply. He stared over at his friend with one eyebrow arched.

Kasumi placed her hands on her hips and glared at her best friend. "Well that's just rude Toushirou."

"I can't help it," Shiro said in his own defense. "You asked me what I thought and I told you. Did you want me to lie or something?"

"YES!"

"Okay then," Shiro said with a shrug, completely confused by the fact that Kasumi had asked him for his opinion and then gotten mad when he'd given it to her. That made absolutely no sense to him. "Next time I'll lie."

_"Keep that up Shiro-kun and there won't be a next time," _Orihime thought to herself as she listened to the two kids argue.

"Let's just go," Kasumi said, grabbing Shiro by the arm and pulling him to his feet. "The festival's supposed to start in an hour. I'm supposed to help my classmates set up our booth and if we don't hurry then I'm going to be late.

"Wait a minute!" Orihime exclaimed as she hurried over to the two kids holding a camera. "I have to get a picture of the two of you. You both look so adorable."

Shiro groaned under his breath at once again being referred to as adorable but stood beside Kasumi without protest while Orihime took a half dozen photos of the two of them.

"Thank you," Orihime said, waving them off. "Have fun at the festival."

"We will," Kasumi called out as she grabbed her messenger bag and proceeded to pull Shiro out the door.

* * *

When the two kids arrived at school they walked through an arch that had been set up at the entrance gate. The archway was adorned with a paper lantern on each side and plastic koi fish across the top as though they were swimming over the archway. Kasumi gazed around at the decorations that Shiro and his classmates had set up, slightly impressed by the work they had done. The long line of booths that the kids had assembled the previous day were now decorated with paper lanterns in assorted colors and strings of lights in the shape of cherry blossoms hung from all of the trees.

"This is really cool Shiro-chan," Kasumi said as she quickly pulled Shiro toward the booth that her class had set up under their favorite tree in the courtyard. It was separated from the other booths because their activity required more space. A large pool had been set up beside the booth and as they arrived they saw some of her classmates dumping assorted koi fish into the water.

"Ishida!" a couple of her classmates called out as she and Shiro walked up to the booth.

"Hey guys," Kasumi said as she watched the koi fish swim around in the pool. She quickly pulled the strap of her messenger bag off her shoulders and unzipped it. From it's depths she pulled a light pink folder, which she placed down on the table and flipped open. "Sorry I'm late. Took longer than I thought to get ready."

"That's okay Ishida," one of the other children said.

"What are you doing?" Shiro asked, confused.

"You'll see," Kasumi replied as she pulled several paper cut outs from the folder. She quickly handed the painted koi fish to Shiro with the order, "Hold these."

Shiro wasn't given time to protest as the cut outs were forced into his hands. He watched as Kasumi pulled a chair up to the stand and then climbed on top of it. _"She's going to break her neck," _Shiro thought to himself, knowing that outside of battle his best friend wasn't exactly the most graceful person on the planet. An image of Kasumi falling off the chair actually flashed into his mind but Shiro quickly banished it. He had enough visions as it was and that wasn't something that he needed to think about.

"Hand me one of the paper koi," Kasumi said, jarring Shiro from his thoughts. She made certain to be very specific with her request because, knowing Shiro, had she not specified the fact that she wanted one of the paper ones then she would most likely have ended up with a live koi in her hand.

Shiro shrugged and handed her one of the cut outs.

"Thank you." Kasumi took the paper koi from him and quickly taped it to the top of their sign, beside the words 'Lucky Koi'. She repeated this process with the half dozen koi that she had painted and then she climbed down from the chair. Unfortunately as she did so her foot became entangled in her kimono and she lost her balance.

Seeing the disaster unfolding before his eyes in slow motion, Shiro stepped over and caught Kasumi as she fell. "You're such a klutz," the boy said with a smirk as he helped Kasumi to stand.

"Shut up," Kasumi snapped, her face flushing crimson. "And thank you."

"Don't mention it," Shiro said, slightly amused by her embarrassment.

"Hey Kurosaki!"

Shiro turned and watched as his classmate, and class vice-president, Heikichi Yamino walked toward him. The older boy was waving like a lunatic and Shiro briefly debated walking in the other direction and pretending that he hadn't heard him.

"Don't even think about pretending like you didn't hear me Toushirou," Heikichi called out, recognizing the look in Shiro's eyes and realizing exactly what the younger boy was planning.

"Guess he told you Shiro-chan," Kasumi said with a smirk.

"You'd better be nicer to me," Shiro said, turning his gaze back to Kasumi. "Or next time I'll let you fall on your butt in front of all your classmates."

"Now that would be mean," Kasumi said, pouting slightly. "But I'm sure you'd do it."

"So Kurosaki," Heikichi said, coming to a stop beside his classmate. "Nice work with the decorations. And thanks again for getting your dad's friends to help us."

"No problem," Shiro said.

"Wait a minute," Kasumi said, gazing over at her best friend through slightly narrowed eyes. "What does he mean your dad's friends? Did you get Squad Five to help with the decorations?"

"A few of them," Shiro replied. "To be quite honest with you I didn't think that it would be wise to let some of my classmates climb trees but they all thought the lights that look like cherry blossoms would be a good idea so I asked Kaiya and some of the others for help."

"Cheater," Kasumi muttered.

"Hey!" Shiro snapped. "No one said that we couldn't get help. In fact most of the teachers actually suggested it. Apparently they didn't want anyone to kill themselves either."

"You still cheated," Kasumi maintained, although there was now a smile on her face.

"Fine, I cheated," Shiro said, not wanting the argument to progress any further.

"So Kurosaki," Heikichi said, gazing at his classmate curiously. "What are you doing hanging out here with the little kids?" As soon as the words left his mouth Heikichi realized his mistake and he glanced over at his classmate to find Shiro glaring daggers at him. A chill wind began to blow across the school yard and Heikichi could only guess that it was being caused by Shiro's Shinigami powers.

"Toushirou," Kasumi hissed in a voice that only he could hear as the cold wind swirled around her. "Stop it! You're making a scene."

"He started it," Shiro muttered however he reined in his reiatsu and the cold wind ceased to blow.

"That's a seriously cool trick Kurosaki," Heikichi said, his voice filled with awe.

"Shut up," Shiro said, glaring at the older boy. "If you think I'm forgiving you for that little kid comment so easily then you're crazy."

Heikichi shrugged. "Sorry Kurosaki, didn't think before I spoke."

"Obviously," Shiro said.

"You know," Kasumi said, turning her gaze toward Heikichi. "For your information I'm actually two months older than Shiro-chan."

"I'm sorry about the little kid comment," Heikichi said, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. "I didn't mean to offend either one of you."

"So," Kasumi said, turning to Shiro and Heikichi, all anger apparently forgotten. "My friends and I are taking turns running the koi booth so would you guys like to walk around and enjoy the festival a little bit?"

"Sounds like fun," Heikichi said with a smile, which made Kasumi smile in return. She nodded and then turned to face Shiro, a questioning look in her big, blue eyes. "If I must," the younger boy said with a sigh.

"You must," Kasumi said, seizing her friend by the hand.

With that the three kids began walking around the courtyard, Shiro being pulled along by Kasumi.

"We should play some of the games," Kasumi suggested as she and the boys came to a stop in front of one of the booths. This particular booth contained a corkboard that was filled with multicolored balloons. The kid standing beside the booth smiled at the three friends and held out a couple of darts. "Hit the white balloons with the darts and win a prize."

"I'm game," Heikichi said, taking one of the darts that the boy was offering. He held up the dart, took aim, and then tossed it. A bright red balloon burst as the dart missed it's target.

"So close," the boy running the booth said.

Shiro smirked at the look on his classmate's face.

"Shut up Kurosaki," Heikichi said, even though Shiro hadn't actually uttered a word. "If you think you can do better then feel free."

"Come on Shiro," Kasumi urged.

"Fine," Shiro said, taking one of the darts from the boy. Rolling his eyes he tossed the dart without even bothering to aim and watched as the white balloon in the very center of the board exploded.

"Great shot!" the three bystanders exclaimed. The boy reached down into a box that was sitting beside the stand and pulled out a paper crane which he handed to Shiro. "Wonderful aim."

Shiro shrugged as he accepted the crane that the boy offered him.

"Come on," Kasumi said, grabbing both boys by the hand and pulling them on to the next booth. Shiro and Heikichi had no choice but to follow her and they soon found themselves standing in front of yet another booth, this one containing a bunch of cards that were turned upside down on a table.

"It's a matching game," the girl who seemed to be in charge of this game said as the trio came to a stop in front of her booth. "It tests your memory. Match as many as you can within the span of one minute."

"Your turn," Shiro told Kasumi as he took a step back. "This isn't my kind of game."

Privately Kasumi thought that this would be the perfect game for him since her friend had a near photographic memory but she didn't press the matter. Instead she nodded to the girl and picked up a card. Forty-seven seconds later Kasumi had all the cards divided into pairs.

"Wow," the girl said, her eyes wide. She reached down into the box that was beside her booth and pulled out a lucky cat which she offered to Kasumi. "That was really cool."

"Shiro-chan could have done it faster," Kasumi said with a smile, as she accepted the cat.

* * *

"Are you ready yet Ichigo?" Rukia called out impatiently from the bottom of the stairs. "I swear, I thought it was the woman who was supposed to take forever getting ready."

"I'm coming," Ichigo called out, making his way down the stairs. As he descended the stairs his gaze focused on his wife, a questioning look in his eyes. "Now tell me again why we have to go to this little school festival?"

"Because our son is there, as well as your best friend's daughter," Rukia informed him. "Not to mention the fact that Orihime and Uryu are both going and I'm not sure how exactly Orihime will react when she meets the children's new friend."

Ichigo slapped his forehead with his hand, unable to believe that he hadn't thought about that little detail for himself. "I didn't even think about that. She hasn't met Heikichi has she?"

Rukia shook her head, unable to believe the fact that the man she fell in love with could be so stupid. "No and I can't believe you forgot about the fact that your son's new friend is the reincarnation of Aizen. I mean honestly Ichigo. . ."

"Give me a break," Ichigo snapped.

Rukia rolled her eyes and grabbed her husband by the arm, thinking that she'd like to give him a break all right. Break his arm or maybe his leg. "Let's just go."

* * *

"Well," Kasumi said once she'd dragged a reluctant Shiro around to all of the booths. "I suppose I should go work at the stand with my classmates for awhile. It's only fair."

Shiro shrugged and followed his friend back over to the booth that her class was sponsoring. _"It's not like I have anything better to do with my time," _he thought to himself. His class was in charge of the decorations; they'd put them up before the festival and it was their job to take them down when it was over. The time in between was theirs to do with as they pleased.

Heikichi had similar thoughts and he too followed Kasumi back over to the booth with the miniature koi pond.

"Go ahead and look around guys," Kasumi told her classmates. "We'll watch the booth for awhile so you guys can go and have some fun."

"Thanks Ishida," Ayana said as she and the others walked away.

"So Shiro-chan," Kasumi said once her classmates had left, offering the young boy a smile. "You're having fun aren't you? Come on, admit it."

"It's not as bad as I thought it would be," Shiro admitted with the utmost reluctance. "But it's not exactly what I would call fun either."

"You just like to be difficult," Kasumi told him, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at her best friend.

"You know," Shiro said, a thoughtful expression in his blue-green eyes. "For some reason I hear that a lot."

"That really should tell you something Kurosaki," Heikichi said with a smirk.

"Oh shut up," Shiro snapped, glaring at his classmate and once again causing a chill wind to swirl around them. "What are you even doing here? Don't you have someone else you can go and annoy?"

"Well I could," Heikichi replied in a calm voice, his grin widening as he spoke. "But I'd rather stay here and pick on you. It's more fun."

"Ugh!"

Kasumi rolled her eyes in the direction of the two boys and shook her head. The two of them really were hopeless.

* * *

It wasn't long before Kasumi's classmates returned to the booth and for awhile they all hung out together. The peace was short-lived however as the quiet of the early afternoon was shattered by an ear-piercing, other-worldly scream. Without a word to the other students Shiro grabbed Kasumi by the arm and pulled her off to a secluded spot beside the school building, followed closely behind by Heikichi.

"I thought your mother put a barrier around the school?" Shiro whispered once the trio were alone.

"She did," Kasumi said, a confused expression on her face. "I don't understand what's happening."

"We're about to be attacked," Shiro stated in a matter-of-fact way. "That's what's happening."

And, as if on cue, a beast about the size of an average adult male appeared in the air above the three kids. "Arrancar," Shiro whispered as his gaze focused on this evolved version of a Hollow, complete with a broken mask perched lopsidedly on it's head. He turned to his two friends. "We have to lure it away from here or else people could get hurt."

Kasumi and Heikichi nodded and together the three children dashed across the school courtyard and away from the school grounds. The Arrancar gave a mighty roar and then pursued the three kids, whose combined reiatsu made them a very worthwhile target. Shiro led the way to the neighborhood park, which was abandoned due to the festival at the school, and once there he pulled his Gikongan from an inside pocket in his kimono and quickly assumed his Shinigami form. At the same time Kasumi flipped her silver cross up into her palm and the glowing golden bow appeared in her hand and together the two kids faced their opponent.

The Arrancar sneered when he realized the kids intended to fight. "You think you're a match for me?"

"I think we're going to find out," Shiro replied as he pulled Hyourinmaru from the sheath that he wore secured across his back. His thoughts momentarily flashed back to the last time he'd encountered an Arrancar and he really hoped that he faired better this time around. The last encounter had not been pretty.

At that moment Heikichi stepped up beside Shiro, his intense gaze focused on the Arrancar.

"What do you think you're doing you idiot?" Shiro angrily demanded of his classmate, never taking his eyes off of his opponent. "Get over there by that tree and try not to get yourself killed while Kasumi and I take care of this. I don't have time for your stupidity right now!"

"I can help," Heikichi insisted, his gaze also remaining focused on the Arrancar.

Shiro opened his mouth to further protest however he stopped short as the Arrancar dashed toward them. He didn't have time to argue with his stubborn classmate and all he could do was fight and hope that Heikichi didn't end up getting himself killed. The young boy pointed the tip of his sword toward the sky and called out, "Reign over the frosted, frozen sky Hyourinmaru!"

The dragon of ice and water burst from the tip of Shiro's zanpaktou and, with a flick of the blade, the young boy sent the dragon soaring toward the Arrancar. The dragon struck the beast's arm and it let out a howl of rage and pain as it's left arm was frozen solid by the attack.

Blinded by rage the Arrancar rushed toward Shiro, momentarily forgetting that there were two other fighters. He was reminded of this fact however when he was struck in the arm by an arrow shot from Kasumi's bow. The Arrancar's frozen arm exploded in a spray of ice as the arrow struck and the beast's howls increased tenfold. Roaring it's displeasure the Arrancar rushed toward Shiro and shot a bolt of reiatsu from it's hand. Shiro was caught slightly off guard by the force of the attack and he watched in horror as Hyourinmaru flew from his hands and went sailing through the air, landing with a dull thud a few yards away.

"This is not good," Shiro exclaimed as the Arrancar raised his remaining hand in preparation for another attack. His gaze shifted from the Arrancar to his zanpaktou as he debated whether or not he could reach the spot where Hyourinmaru lay before the Arrancar used his claws to skewer him.

"Kurosaki!" Heikichi called out, interrupting Shiro's internal debate. "Catch!" And even though Shiro's classmate wasn't anywhere near the sword as Heikichi raised his hands Hyourinmaru rose into the air and then flew toward Shiro.

"Thanks," Shiro said, catching his zanpaktou by the hilt and releasing the ice dragon yet again. He made a mental note to ask Heikichi how he'd managed to make the sword fly to him but now was not the time. Now was the time to destroy the Arrancar.

Now angrier than ever the Arrancar changed targets and dashed toward Heikichi. Shiro and Kasumi both ran toward their friend however they paused as Heikichi raised his hand and a violent wind began to circulate around the Arrancar. The beast was knocked off balance by the ferocious wind that Heikichi had summoned and he stumbled backward a few steps. Seeing this as an opportunity Shiro once again released the ice dragon, which froze the Arrancar's legs to the ground and as the Arrancar fought to free itself Kasumi pulled back her bow and fired an arrow. The arrow flew through the air and struck the Arrancar dead center between the eyes. The beast issued one last scream of rage as he disintegrated.

"That was awesome!" Heikichi exclaimed as he ran over to join Shiro and Kasumi.

"What the heck did you do?" Shiro asked, whirling to face his classmate and glaring at him through narrowed eyes.

"Well apparently you guys aren't the only ones with freakish powers," Heikichi explained. "I was attacked by a Hollow a couple of weeks ago and I kept waiting for one of you guys to show up and save me but no one came and I had to save myself. That's when I learned that I can use telekinesis and control the elements. Or to be more specific I have the capability to control the elements, I'm not exactly great at it yet."

"Weird," Shiro muttered. "And that would make you a freak like the rest of us."

"Toushirou!" Kasumi exclaimed, casting a reproachful gaze in her best friend's direction.

"It's okay," Heikichi said, shrugging off Shiro's words. "I don't take it as an insult. Plus, there's no way I'm as weird as he is."

"That's true," Kasumi said, turning to smile at her best friend. "No one's as weird as Shiro-chan."

Shiro growled under his breath as he walked over to the spot where his body was standing. The young boy resumed his normal form and then turned a glare toward his friends. "Come on. I'd love to further argue this point but we really don't have time for this. We'd better get back to school before someone notices that we're gone."

With a smile Kasumi nodded and together the trio made their way back to the festival. When they arrived back at the koi booth Kasumi and Shiro found that their parents were there waiting for them. Orihime's eyes widened in shock as her gaze fell briefly on the young boy that was walking beside her daughter. Rukia had spoken the truth when she'd described this new friend of their children, he really was the spitting image of Aizen, however much to her surprise she found that it didn't really bother her to look at this boy. After all, he had no control over what his previous incarnation had done. Rukia gazed over at her friend as the children walked up to them, trying to judge Orihime's reaction, and she was happy to find that the boy's appearance didn't seem to be having a negative effect on her.

Ichigo and Uryu focused their gazes on their children and asked, in one voice, "And where exactly have you three been?"

Shiro briefly debated on lying to their fathers however quickly decided against that course of action. After all their parents had more than likely felt the reiatsu of the Arrancar so they probably already knew what had really happened. "We had an unwanted visitor to the festival so we thought we should probably get rid of it. So that's what we did."

Ichigo and Uryu both rolled their eyes. They already knew about the Arrancar of course, having sensed it's reiatsu as well as that of their children, however in all honesty they hadn't expected such a blunt answer from the boy.

"What?" Shiro asked, seeing the looks of incredulity that Ichigo and Uryu were giving him. "We couldn't let an Arrancar crash the party. People could have been hurt not to mention the fact that my class is in charge of cleanup and that guy would have made a serious mess."

"It's good to see that you have your priorities in order Toushirou," Uryu said.

"Should we be talking about this in front of. . ." Ichigo paused as Heikichi glanced in his direction.

"He saw the whole thing," Shiro said, his gaze shifting from his dad to his new friend. He actually found it kind of funny that his dad was concerned about discussing this in front of Heikichi when the boy had discovered that he possessed the power to fight Hollow on his own. "And he already knows about Shinigami, Soul Society and Hollow."

"Wait," Rukia said, a look of confusion on her face. "How does he know about all of that? I thought we erased his memories?"

"I tried and failed," Shiro said, thinking back to the first time that his classmate had witnessed his Shinigami transformation. "And then you tried, with similar results. Apparently, for some reason, he's just immune to the memory modification. So I told him everything."

"I see," Rukia said, staring at the young boy in an appraising sort of way. The knowledge didn't seem to have brought about any adverse affects in the kid so she supposed that it was no harm, no foul. And it's not like they could really warn Shiro about giving Heikichi too much information about Soul Society since they couldn't tell the kid that he was the reincarnation of their former rival without revealing his own past. "Well it's not like anyone would believe him if he told them."

"That was my observation as well," Shiro said. "Plus there's the fact that he's not exactly normal himself."

"What do you mean Shiro-chan?" Rukia asked.

Shiro glanced over at Heikichi and the older boy spoke up. "Apparently I have the power to control the elements and move things with my thoughts. It's kinda cool actually but really weird."

"Strange," Ichigo said, his gaze focused intently on the young boy who was standing with Shiro and Kasumi. Although it wasn't unheard of for normal humans to have spiritual powers it was in no way a normal occurrence and the fact that there were now three such children attending the same school seemed somewhat odd to Ichigo and reminded him of his own screwed up school days. Not to mention the fact that two of them were reincarnations of former Shinigami captains.

"Well now that that's been taken care of you have to pose for a picture," Rukia said with a smile, holding up a small, digital camera. "You look absolutely adorable!"

Shiro growled low in his throat as Kasumi pulled him aside and wrapped her arm around his.

Rukia held up the camera but then lowered it and turned to Heikichi, who had stepped to the side. "Get over there with them. You have to be in the picture too Heikichi."

The older boy smiled as he walked over to join Shiro and Kasumi. Kasumi quickly wrapped her other arm around Heikichi and the three kids smiled, Shiro's smile slightly forced, as Rukia snapped the picture. _"We are so weird," _Shiro thought to himself as his gaze shifted back and forth between his family and friends.

"I'm really sorry about the barrier you guys," Orihime said to the group once Rukia had finished with her picture taking and they were all standing off to themselves. "I wasn't thinking about Arrancar when I put up the barrier and I didn't make it strong enough to block them. I'll fix that problem though and this shouldn't happen again."

"It's not your fault Mom," Kasumi said.

"That's right," Shiro said. "It's ours."

"Don't say things like that Shiro-kun," Orihime said, gazing at the young boy with a strange expression in her eyes.

"It's the truth," Shiro said. "It's our reiatsu that draws them here and now with Heikichi exhibiting strange powers of his own they're that much more likely to attack"

"Guess we'll just have to make the barrier that much stronger," Orihime said, a determined look in her eyes.

Kasumi and Shiro both smiled. Their parents went out of their way in an attempt to keep them safe, even though they were more than capable of taking care of almost anything that came up. It just showed how much they were loved.

A/N- Hope you enjoyed this latest installment of Shiro-chan's story. To those of you who have reviewed the story I offer my thanx. You guys are great. Feel free to review this chapter and let me know what you think. Until next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	22. An Anniversary and a History Lesson

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach

Chapter Twenty-Two- An Anniversary and a History Lesson

Head Captain Ukitake had called a dual meeting, for Captains and Vice-Captains, and at the end of it he turned his sad-eyed gaze to the group. "One final note; as I'm sure you're all aware the sixteenth anniversary of the final battle with Aizen is tomorrow. We will be holding a memorial ceremony, as we do every four years, and I would like for all of the squads to attend."

Everyone nodded solemnly and not even Ichigo had anything smart to say.

"Thank you," Ukitake said in a quiet voice. "You're all dismissed."

The officers all bowed and then they began to dispurse.

"Ichigo," Ukitake called out as the Squad Five Captain began walking toward the door. "May I have a private word with you and Rukia?"

"Sure," Ichigo said, slightly confused. He and Rukia walked over to the spot where the Head Captain stood and, once all of the other Captains and Vice-Captains had left the room, Ukitake spoke. "I know that the two of you usually bring Shiro along to all of the ceremonies that are held here in Soul Society but I think it would be best if he didn't come to this one. Since he's been experiencing flashes of Captain Hitsugaya's memories I think it would be in his best interests if we didn't expose him to this."

"I think you're right sir," Rukia said, nodding her head in agreement. "The less he knows about the war then the better off he'll be. We'll find someone for him to stay with tomorrow while we attend the ceremony."

Ukitake nodded. "Thank you for understanding."

Ichigo and Rukia both nodded and together the two top officers of Squad Five turned and left the Squad One conference room.

* * *

Rukia awoke early the next morning and, once she'd aroused Ichigo and bullied him into getting up and getting dressed, she made her way down the hall to her son's bedroom. She knocked lightly on the door, out of habit more than anything else, and was shocked when Shiro actually opened the door and stuck his head out. "Hey Mom."

"Shiro-chan," Rukia said in surprise, shocked to find out that not only was her son awake but he was dressed and everything. "I didn't expect for you to be awake."

"I couldn't sleep," Shiro told her.

"Are you alright?" Rukia asked her son, a concerned expression in her eyes.

Shiro nodded, not wanting to worry her over something that was really no big deal. "Yea, it's no big deal. I just had a couple of nightmares, nothing major. So did you need something?" It was obvious to the boy that his mother had came to his room with the intention of waking him up and he was slightly curious as to the reason why.

"Your dad and I have a ceremony to attend in Soul Society," Rukia told her son, having decided to tell him the truth or atleast most of the truth. "And while we're gone you're going to be staying with Urahara-san."

"Urahara?" Shiro repeated, confusion evident in his blue-green eyes. Out of all the baby-sitters that his parent had to choose from, why in the world had they chosen the quirky shopkeeper whom Shiro barely knew? He could count on one hand the number of times that he'd been around Urahara for any length of time and while the old man had his uses Shiro wasn't really looking forward to spending an entire day with him. "Is there some special reason why you're leaving me with him? For that matter, why can't I just go with you?"

"It'll be really boring Shiro," Rukia told him, tousling his white hair. "And you don't handle boredom very well. To answer your other question, we're leaving you with Urahara-san because he's the only one available." The part that she neglected to tell him, that part that would have to remain a secret for his own safety, was that Urahara was the only one available because all of his usual baby-sitters were going to attend the ceremony. Even Isshin, Uryu and Orihime were going.

"Fine," Shiro said.

"It'll be okay Shiro-chan," Rukia told her son.

"Do I have to go to Urahara's?" Shiro asked, deciding to take a chance even though he already knew, with almost one hundred percent certainty, what the answer to his question would be. "Can't I just stay here while you guys go to Soul Society?"

"Afraid not Shiro-chan," Rukia told him, delivering the answer that the young boy had been expecting and yet at the same time had been hoping that he wouldn't recieve.

Shiro sighed but was in no way surprised by this verdict.

"Get your things together and meet us downstairs Shiro-chan," Rukia said before she turned and made her way toward the staircase.

"Alright," Shiro said, even though his mother was already making her way down the stairs. "Can't believe they're ditching me again. This is becoming like an every other day occurrence." Still muttering to himself the boy went back into his room and picked his messenger bag up out of the floor. Shiro quickly dumped the contents onto his desk and then filled the bag with a couple of books and some paper. If he were going to be forced to spend the day at Urahara's shop then Shiro wanted to make sure that he would have something to occupy his time. If not then he'd end up getting bored and bad things tended to happen when he was bored. His mother had said it best, he didn't handle boredom very well.

Five minutes later Shiro descended the stairs to find his parents waiting for him in the living room. "I'm ready," the boy announced without much enthusiasm. "Are you sure I can't just stay here?"

"You know the answer to that," Ichigo told his son as the small family made their way toward the front door. "And try not to cause any trouble while we're gone Toushirou. I don't want to come back and find anything destroyed."

Shiro forced an innocent expression onto his face however his dad looked less than convinced. He continued to cast warning glares in Shiro's direction the entire way to Urahara's shop.

When they arrived at the small shop that was operated by Urahara, Ichigo knocked on the door and then stepped back. A few minutes passed and then the door slid open to reveal none other than the green and white striped hat wearing shopkeeper himself. "Welcome Kurosakis!" he exclaimed as he gestured for them to enter the shop.

Shiro didn't immediately make a move to enter the shop and Ichigo decided to help his reluctant son out a little. He placed his hand on the small of his son's back and gave him a gentle shove however, not having been expecting the shove, Shiro stumbled forward and almost fell on his face. Once he'd regained his balance the young boy whirled around and glared at his father. Now it was Ichigo's turn to act all innocent and, much like his father, Shiro wasn't buying it.

"Thanks again for agreeing to watch him," Rukia said, offering Urahara a grateful smile.

"Don't mention it," Urahara said, waving the two older Kurosakis off. "You guys go to your ceremony. Toushirou and I will be just fine."

Ichigo offered his son one last warning look before he and his wife departed. Shiro had recieved this particular look many times and it told him plain as words that he'd better not do anything to cause trouble or there would be hell to pay later.

"We'll be back to pick you up later," Rukia said as she and Ichigo left.

"Not soon enough," Shiro muttered as he watched his parents walk away from the shop.

"Well Toushirou," Urahara said, turning his gaze to the young boy who was standing in the doorway in front of him. "Looks like it's just the two of us. So what would you like to do?"

Shiro shrugged. He knew hardly anything about the man that his parents had left him with so he couldn't even make a suggestion as to an activity that the two of them could use to occupy the time until Ichigo and Rukia returned.

"Well I don't think standing in the doorway is really the best way to spend the day," Urahara said with a grin. "So why don't we go into the backroom while we debate the best way to occupy our time?"

Shiro shrugged once again and followed Urahara down the hall to the small room that was located in the back of the store. Urahara sat down at a small table and, after a short pause, Shiro joined him. "I still don't get why they had to ditch me," he grumbled, more to himself than to Urahara.

"Do you know the reason why your parents had to go to Soul Society today Toushirou?" Urahara asked, his gaze focused intently on the young white-haired boy who was sitting opposite him.

Shiro began to nod however paused halfway through the motion when he realized that he really didn't know the exact reason why. His mother had told him that she and his dad had to go to some kind of ceremony however she hadn't given him any specifics. "Mom just said that they were going to some kind of ceremony. She didn't really tell me exactly what it was."

Urahara nodded, having thought as much. "Today marks the sixteen year anniversary of the end of the Winter War."

"Winter War?" Shiro repeated. It seemed to him that he'd heard about that somewhere before and yet try as he might he was unable to bring forth any of the details.

"Almost seventeen years ago the former Captain of Squad Five, Sousuke Aizen, led a revolt against Soul Society," Urahara explained. "He and two other Captains, Gin Ichimaru of Squad Three and Kaname Tousen of Squad Nine, rebelled against the Seireitei and combined forces with the Hollow. They set up their base of operations in Hueco Mundo and. . ."

"Wait a minute," Shiro said, halting Urahara mid-sentence. "What's Hueco Mundo?"

"Hueco Mundo is the world of the Hollow," Urahara replied, not really surprised that Shiro wasn't aware that such a place existed.

"Oh," Shiro said.

"Anyway your Mom and Dad were both very involved in the war that was fought against the three traitor captains and their minions, who were made up of Hollow, Menos and Arrancar," Urahara told the boy, who was now staring up at the shopkeeper with a rapt expression in his eyes. "The top ten henchmen were known as the Espada and they and the traitor captains were the ones who posed the biggest problems for Soul Society. The Shinigami spent months preparing for the battle however Aizen was the one who initiated the attack. He had been keeping tabs on the preparations being made against him and he knew that if left alone your dad would pose the biggest threat to his plans. Therefore he decided to take matters into his own hands and he traveled to the world of the living and attacked your aunts, Yuzu and Karin. Naturally this royally ticked off your dad and, without thinking of the possible consequences, Ichigo traveled to Hueco Mundo to confront the former Captain of Squad Five."

"That sounds like my dad," Shiro said.

Urahara nodded. "Unfortunately Aizen gained the upper hand and won the fight against your dad. Aizen didn't bother dealing the finishing blow, since Ichigo was down for the count and he didn't forsee him getting back to his feet, and he decided that now would be the most opportune time to travel to Soul Society. The Shinigami wouldn't be expecting him and would thus be easy to defeat and without Ichigo he figured they would be that much easier to defeat. So Aizen summoned the other two traitor captains and the Espada and together they made their way to Soul Society. Battle ensued and there were many casualties on both sides but unfortunately Aizen was slowly gaining the upper hand. However, just when it seemed as though all was lost, Ichigo arrived in Soul Society and engaged Aizen in battle."

"And my dad defeated this Aizen guy?" Shiro asked.

Urahara nodded. "I heard it was a spectacular battle but Ichigo did emerge victorious. Unfortunately the battle's end came to late for many. The ceremony that your parents were going to is held every four years to honor all those who gave their lives to defeat Aizen and his minions."

"I see," Shiro said, nodding his head in understanding. "Why didn't they ever tell me about any of this?"

Urahara shrugged. "I guess it never came up."

"Uh huh," Shiro said, not sounding the slightest bit convinced. "Sure, I'll bet that was it. Now tell me the one about the tooth fairy."

Urahara chuckled softly to himself but didn't comment.

"Can I ask another question?" Shiro said after a brief pause in which he pondered something that had struck him as odd. "Why do they only hold this ceremony every four years? Seems kind of odd to me. Shouldn't they do it every year?"

"Many lives were lost," Urahara said quietly, a serious expression on his face. "And although they should be honored and shown the respect they deserve the gap in between ceremonies is meant to spare the living from the pain of reliving the tragedy."

"Oh," Shiro said. "I see."

* * *

Once the official ceremony was over Ichigo, Rukia, Matsumoto and Hinamori left the main group of Shinigami and made their way to the small cemetary that was located on a hill in a secluded part of the Seireitei. The three women all held bouquets in their hands, each comprised of the same flower. Daffodil was the floral symbol of Squad Ten and was therefore always the gift that they brought for the fallen captain. The group walked across the cemetary until they came to a large block of ice situated under a cherry tree. The ice was the clearest blue and although it had been there for sixteen years it had not melted. The Women's League had designed and constructed this memorial and Vice-Captain Ise had placed a powerful kidou barrier around it to protect it from the elements. Upon the ice a picture of Captain Hitsugaya had been etched, along with the symbol for Squad Ten in the background and his name at the bottom. When they came to a stop in front of the tombstone each of the women leaned over and placed the flowers under the young captain's name.

"We brought you some flowers Shirou-chan," Hinamori said, tears forming in her chocolate colored eyes as she gazed down at her best friend's name etched upon the ice. Feeling the tremendous grief that was practically radiating from Hinamori, Matsumoto wrapped her arm around the younger woman's shoulder in a comforting manner as she also gazed down at the tombstone. "Hey Captain. We brought you some flowers and I can practically see the frown that you'd wear if you knew. Listen Captain, I really miss you and I have a new appreciation for the job that you did. And I have a Vice-Captain who actually does her job so I actually have it better than you did."

Ichigo and Rukia stood off to the side, allowing Hinamori and Matsumoto a small degree of privacy as they expressed their grief on this, the sixteenth anniversary of their friend's death.

* * *

"Agh!" Shiro exclaimed, clenching his eyes closed and gripping his head with his hands as a vision, one of the strangest that he'd ever witnessed, flashed before his eyes. He was facing a man, a brown-haired man wearing glasses and a white haori. There was a cold look in the man's eyes as he gazed toward him and the man looked eerily similar to. . .

"Toushirou!" Urahara exclaimed as the boy continued to grasp his head in his hands, his eyes closed tight as though to protect himself from whatever he was seeing. The child looked as though he were in severe pain and the former Shinigami got to his feet and quickly crossed the room to the spot where Shiro was kneeling. He placed his hand on the young boy's shoulder and gave him a gentle shake. "Toushirou snap out of it."

The images that Shiro was seeing changed as he vaguely heard the voice of someone calling out to him as though from the end of a very long tunnel however he didn't snap out of his trance. Now he was racing toward a couple of people, people whose faces he couldn't make out, and he felt this tremendous need to get to them. Like if he didn't make it to them in the next couple of seconds then something horrible would most certainly happen to them.

"Toushirou!"

This shout, louder than the two previous ones, caused Shiro's eyes to pop open and he lowered his hands and stared up at Urahara, wild-eyed and slightly out of breath. There were tears in his eyes and the boy wiped at them absently, not having the slightest clue why he was crying. "What the heck is wrong with me?"

Urahara shook his head. There wasn't an answer that he could give the boy so he chose to say nothing. What he did instead was walk over to the small table and pick up a cup of tea, which he then carried over to the spot where Shiro was still kneeling. Without a word he offered the cup of tea to the young boy.

"I'm seriously messed up," Shiro muttered as he accepted the tea from Urahara.

* * *

"So do you think that son of yours managed to stay out of trouble for once?" Ichigo asked as he and Rukia made their way toward Urahara's shop.

"Maybe," Rukia said. "And how is it that he's become my son all of a sudden? You usually reserve talk like that until we actually know that he's done something."

"I'm getting a head start on it this time," was Ichigo's reply.

Rukia merely shook her head and kept walking. It was true that her son often caused trouble however it was usually just harmless fun so she found it very easy to forgive him. Ichigo on the other hand seemed to think that Shiro delighted in tormenting him and almost viewed it as his mission in life. Maybe it was true and maybe it wasn't but if that were indeed the case Rukia thought that it could have something to do with all the bad karma that Ichigo had racked up when Captain Hitsugaya had been alive. Perhaps all the trouble Shiro caused was the late Captain's revenge for all those times Ichigo had called him Toushirou instead of Captain Hitsugaya.

"I don't like that look on your face," Ichigo said, glaring at his wife. "What are you thinking about?"

"I'm terribly sorry Captain," Rukia said, offering Ichigo a smile and pointedly ignoring his question.

The Squad Five Captain growled low in his throat but chose not to comment on the fact that his wife had once again began referring to him as Captain in that irreverant tone of voice. There was nothing that he could do about it, of that he was fully aware, so there was really no point in argueing the fact. It would simply be a waste of time. Ichigo had learned that lesson the hard way and had no desire for a refresher course.

When the couple arrived at Urahara's shop Ichigo knocked on the door, to announce their arrival, and then he slid the door open and stepped inside. "Hey Urahara! We're here to collect our kid. Are you there?"

There was no reply and Ichigo turned a nervous glance to his wife. "Hey Rukia, you don't suppose. . ."

"They're fine," Rukia said, taking the lead and making her way down the hallway to the small room in the back of the store. She knocked lightly on the door before sliding it open to reveal Urahara sitting in his usual spot at the small table and Shiro lying on his side in the floor, reading a book.

"Sorry," Ichigo said, giving the room's inhabitants one shocked look and then turning to leave. "I think we're in the wrong place."

Shiro glanced up at his dad and rolled his eyes. "Not funny dad."

"You're right, it wasn't," Ichigo said, turning back to face his son. "So, are you ready to go home?"

"Yes," Shiro exclaimed, getting to his feet and collecting his things. The boy quickly shoved all of his books into his messenger bag, which he slung over his shoulder, and then came to stand between his parents. The time that he'd spent with Urahara hadn't been as bad as he'd expected it to be, and he had gotten some useful information, however Shiro was more than ready to leave.

"Thanks again Urahara," Rukia said as the trio turned to leave.

"Don't mention it," Urahara said quietly as he watched them leave, his gaze lingering on the young white-haired boy until he was completely out of sight.

A/N- This update is my gift to you guys on my birthday. Hope you enjoyed it. Sorry if it feels like a filler but it might be important later. Feel free to review and let me know what you think. Until next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	23. Christmas

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach

Chapter Twenty-three - Christmas

It was mid-afternoon and Shiro was seated at his desk, staring blankly at his computer screen and not really paying any real attention to the words that were upon it. He had been attempting to finish a report for school however he found that he couldn't focus on the assignment, his thoughts kept wandering to other things, mainly the fact that both of his parents had seemed somewhat depressed ever since that memorial ceremony that they'd attended in Soul Society. Now it wasn't like Ichigo and Rukia to be down, especially not both at the same time, and Shiro found himself wanting to do something for his parents to cheer them up.

_"That's it," _Shiro thought to himself as he gave up on working on his report. The boy saved the half finished report and then logged onto the Internet. _"I'm sick of seeing the two of them looking like that. I have to find something that will cheer them up."_

After spending a couple of hours on the Internet, doing research, Shiro finally decided on a plan to make Ichigo and Rukia happy once more.

"I'm going to need some help with this," the young boy muttered to himself as he signed off his computer and got slowly to his feet. Shiro stretched and then glanced over at the clock that was hanging on the wall, his eyes widening as his preoccupied mind registered the time. "Crap! I'm going to be late for my training session with Ukitake!"

It wasn't as though this were a big deal, the boy had never been late before, however Shiro couldn't handle the thought of ruining his perfect record. It wasn't something that the young boy could explain but the thought of being late to an appointment annoyed him beyond all reason. "That's not gonna happen," he growled under his breath as he left his room and quickly made his way downstairs to the Senkaimon.

Once he arrived in Soul Society Shiro quickly made his way across the Seireitei, arriving at Squad One without a moment to spare. Ukitake raised one eyebrow in question as he watched the young boy walking across the office toward the desk where he sat, breathing slightly harder than normal. "Is something the matter Shiro-chan?"

Shiro shook his head. "Nothing wrong. I was just running a little late, that's all."

The Head Captain shook his head. The boy must have sprinted the entire way to Squad One "You know it would have been okay if you'd been a little late Shiro-chan. I wouldn't have been mad, your dad's late to meetings with me all the time."

"I know," Shiro said, shrugging his shoulders. "But I didn't want to be late."

"Alright," Ukitake said with a smile. "So are you ready to train?"

"Of course," Shiro replied.

* * *

Shiro and Head Captain Ukitake spent the better part of two hours out at the Squad One training grounds, working on sword techniques, and then Ukitake decided that it was time for the two of them to call it quits for today. "Good work Shiro-chan. You improve every time we come out here."

"Thanks," Shiro said quietly, sheathing Hyourinmaru.

"Well I should probably get back to work," Head Captain Ukitake said. "Paperwork tends to pile up near the end of the month. Probably because so many of the officers, mentioning no names, tend to wait until the last minute to turn in theirs."

"Have fun," Shiro called out as he watched the Head Captain walk away.

Ukitake merely chuckled and waved at the boy over his shoulder.

Once Ukitake was out of sight Shiro left the training grounds and made his way to the Squad Ten barracks. For once he wasn't looking for Matsumoto, the reason why he usually ended up at Squad Ten, however he was hoping that he'd find the person that he was seeking in the Squad Ten office so that's where the young boy chose to go. When he arrived at the door of the office he knocked lightly a couple of times, to announce his arrival, and then he slid the door open.

As he stepped inside the office the young boy's gaze swept around the room and his searching eyes quickly located the person that he was looking for. Matsumoto was seated at her desk, her head propped up by her hands and apparently lost in thought, while Kin was sitting at her own desk on the other side of the room, reading a book.

"Well this looks exciting," Shiro commented as he made his way across the office toward the two women.

Matsumoto jumped slightly at the sound of Shiro's voice and she glanced up and offered the young boy a welcoming smile. "So what brings you here to Squad Ten Shiro-chan?"

"I need to borrow your vice-captain for a little while Ran-san," Shiro said, offering the Squad Ten Captain his best pleading look, his blue-green eyes wide and innocent looking.

"And what exactly do you need her for?" Matsumoto asked, her curiosity piqued.

"I'm going to throw a party if you must know," Shiro replied, reverting back to his normal expression. "And I could really use Kin's help with the preparations."

"Really?" Matsumoto asked. "What kind of party?"

Shiro sighed. "Mom and Dad have been acting weird ever since that memorial ceremony that you guys held last week and I wanted to do something to cheer them up so I thought that we could have a celebration in the Squad Five barracks. No one uses it after all so it's not like we can hurt anything over there."

Matsumoto nodded, knowing exactly why Shiro's parents were down and thinking that it was really thoughtful, and also slightly ironic, that Shiro wanted to do something to cheer them up. "That's really nice of you Shiro-chan and if Kin can be of service to you then she's all yours. If she wants to help that is." This last part was added as sort of an after thought and Matsumoto cast a glance over to the spot where her vice-captain was sitting.

Shiro also turned his eyes toward Kin, who immediately melted. The Squad Ten vice-captain got to her feet and gazed down at the young boy. "Like I could tell you no. Of course I'll help Shiro-chan."

Shiro offered his friend a smile. "Come on. We have a lot to do and we only have until tomorrow to do it."

"Tomorrow!" Kin exclaimed, her eyes widening. "Why tomorrow?"

"It has to be tomorrow," Shiro insisted. "And I'll explain everything on the way to Squad Five so come on already."

Kin shrugged and, after casting a questioning glance toward her captain, she followed the young boy out of the office. "Alright Shiro-chan," Kin said as she followed him across the Seireitei toward the Squad Five barracks. "Tell me why this little party of yours has to be tomorrow?"

"Well," Shiro said, not slowing his pace in the slightest. "I was looking online for something that would cheer up my mom and dad when I read about this western holiday called Christmas. Some of the traditions sounded like they could be fun and it's tomorrow so I thought that we could celebrate it. After all Mom's really into those western romance novels so she probably already knows about it."

"I see," Kin said as they entered the Squad Five courtyard. "Well I'm game. What do we have to do first?"

"First we have to find a tree," Shiro told her, stopping dead in his tracks and gazing around the barren courtyard. "Which I guess means that our first stop really shouldn't have been Squad Five. Field trip."

Kin smiled at the young boy and followed him back out of the Squad Five courtyard.

* * *

"Rukia," Ichigo called out as he made his way downstairs and entered the den where his wife was sitting on the sofa, reading a book. "Do you have any idea where our son has disappeared off to?"

Rukia placed her book down on the arm of the sofa and gazed up at her husband with an 'I can't believe you had the nerve to interrupt me while I was reading' look. "I haven't seen him all day, which now that I think about it is probably not a good thing."

"Oh no," Ichigo said, grabbing his head in his hands, his thoughts flashing wildly back and forth between all of the likely possibilities, each vision as disturbing as the previous. When his son disappeared it was almost a certainty that trouble was around the corner.

"Mom," a familiar voice called out at that point. "Dad. . . where are you guys?"

"We're in the den Shiro-chan," Rukia called out in reply, at the same time casting a look in her husband's direction.

A few moments passed and then Shiro appeared in the doorway. "Hey guys. We have to go to Soul Society, now."

"Why?" Ichigo demanded, eyeing his son warily. He never voluntarily traveled to Soul Society and the fact that Shiro was now telling him that he had to did not strike him as a particularly good sign.

"We just have to okay?" Shiro said, not wanting to ruin the surprise.

"What did you do?" Ichigo asked, his gaze still focused on the young white-haired boy who was standing a few feet away from him.

"I didn't do anything. Why do you always think that?" Shiro asked, gazing up into his dad's face with a questioning look in his blue-green eyes.

"Because you're almost always guilty of something," Ichigo said in his own defense. "And I don't really want to go to Soul Society right now so unless you tell me what's going on then I'm staying right here."

Shiro stood glaring at his father for a few seconds before he abruptly turned and left the room. In hindsight he realized that he really should have expected this problem from his dad and yet he'd been hoping against hope that Ichigo would just cooperate with him for once. Shiro rolled his eyes and thought to himself _"Why did I think that would work?" _

The young boy quickly made his way downstairs to the Senkaimon and once again made the trip to Soul Society. If his dad wanted to be difficult about things then that was fine. He knew a way to get around his dad's stubbornness and make sure that his parents came to the Seireitei.

"I don't know why he insists on being so difficult about everything," Shiro muttered to himself as he made his way across the Seireitei to the normally deserted Squad Five barracks. The young boy made his way down the hall to the conference room and when he entered he found that everyone was already assembled inside, each of them wearing the red and green hats that Kasumi had made upon his request.

"Shiro-chan!" Matsumoto called out. "Wait a minute. . . where are your parents?"

"Dad's being difficult," Shiro said, walking across the room to the spot where Head Captain Ukitake was standing with Captain Unohana, Hisagi, and Hinamori. He gazed up at the Head Captain with a hopeful expression in his blue-green eyes. "Could you do me a favor and send him a message?"

Ukitake smiled in understanding. "Of course Shiro-chan. They'll be here in a matter of minutes."

And with that the Head Captain walked off.

* * *

After her son's abrupt departure Rukia had resumed reading her book and she was completely absorbed when she felt a familiar tickling sensation on her finger. She glanced down and saw that a black butterfly was perched there and she gazed down at it as the message from Soul Society was relayed. Once the butterfly had flown off Rukia marked her page and placed her book down on the small table that was positioned beside the couch.

"Ichigo!" she called out as she got to her feet.

A few minutes passed and then Ichigo's head appeared around the door frame. "What is it now?"

"We've been summoned to Soul Society," Rukia said, gazing over at her husband. "Our presence there is required immediately."

"What the hell?" Ichigo exclaimed.

"Come on," Rukia said, grabbing him by the arm and leading him toward the stairs that led down to the basement. "Complaining about it won't make a difference."

"I know," Ichigo growled as he reluctantly followed his wife downstairs. "But it'll make me feel a hell of a lot better."

"And it makes me feel worse," Rukia muttered.

When the two Squad Five officers arrived in the Seireitei they found it virtually deserted. "I don't like the looks of this" Ichigo said as he and his wife made their way toward the Squad One barracks. "What do you suppose is going on around here?"

"I have no idea," Rukia said, just as confused as her husband. She'd never seen the Seireitei this deserted and was curious to find out exactly what was going on.

"You're here," a soft voice called out as they approached the Squad One barracks and as they got closer their eyes fell upon none other than Hinamori.

"Momo," Rukia called out as she and Ichigo walked up to the small woman. "Can you tell me exactly what's going on around here? Where is everyone?"

"I could tell you," Hinamori said in a quiet voice, her gaze focused intently on her two friends and her face completely devoid of all emotions. "But I'm under strict orders not to so if you'll just follow me then you'll find out." This said, Hinamori began walking away from the Squad One barracks, clearly intending for Ichigo and Rukia to follow her.

"What the hell?" Ichigo exclaimed.

Rukia shrugged, grabbed him by the arm, and began walking in the direction that Hinamori was heading. "No clue. I guess we'll find out when we get there. Where ever there is."

Ichigo growled low in his throat but made no further protests as Rukia proceeded to drag him in the direction that Hinamori was walking in. They traveled in silence and it soon became apparent that they were headed toward the Squad Five barracks, which only served to increase the confusion of the two Squad Five officers. Since their squad had been turned into a living world liaison squad, the building was seldom used for anything.

Ichigo turned to Rukia who merely shrugged.

Hinamori led them into the Squad Five barracks and, once they reached the door of the conference room, she slid the door open and then stepped aside and motioned for Ichigo and Rukia to enter before her. With one final glance to one another Ichigo and Rukia stepped inside the conference room and as they walked across the threshold they noticed that a gentle snow began to fall.

"What the. . ."

Ignoring her husband Rukia gazed around the room, taking in the bright decorations, and then her gaze focused on her son, who held his zanpaktou in his hands. "Shiro-chan. . ."

"Merry Christmas Mom and Dad," Shiro said, offering his parents a broad smile.

"Wow Shiro-chan!" Rukia gasped, once more gazing around the room. A large tree stood in one corner of the conference room and it had been decorated with icicles that had no doubt been made by Shiro's zanpaktou, as well as bright lights strung around the branches. There were red bows everywhere throughtout the room and everyone in the room, with the exception of Ichigo, Rukia, Shiro and Hinamori were wearing either a red or a green hat.

With another broad smile Shiro produced three more hats, which he promptly offered to his mom and dad, as well as Hinamori. The two women immediately put on the hats that had been offered to them and, after a moment's hesitation and a sharp look from Rukia, Ichigo did as well.

"I've read about Christmas in a couple of my novels," Rukia said as they walked further into the room, toward the other guests. "But what in the world made you decide to celebrate it Shiro-chan?"

"You and Dad have been looking stressed lately," Shiro replied after a moment's hesitation, during which he debated what answer he should give her. "And I wanted to do something to cheer you guys up. Then I read about Christmas online and I know how much you love those western novels of yours plus the date fit so I thought why not?"

Rukia leaned down and pulled her son into an embrace. The child had picked up on the fact that she and Ichigo were worried and, not even realizing that he was the one they were worried about, Shiro had sought to relieve their burden, if only for a little while. "Thank you Shiro-chan."

"You're welcome," Shiro said, gesturing toward a long table that had been set up in the center of the room. "We have food."

* * *

The assembled group of Shinigami spent the next couple of hours eating and chatting and basically having a good time and then Shiro and Kin made their way to the front of the room. "Can I have your attention please?" Shiro called out, effectively halting the conversations that were going on around the room. All eyes went to the front of the room and focused on the young boy. "Thank you all for coming to my little Christmas party. Now we have a little game planned if you all would make your way out to the courtyard outside."

No one knew what was going on however they all obediently made their way out to the courtyard. As they stepped outside they immediately saw that the courtyard had been transformed into a winter wonderland. Gasps rang out throughout the group as they all gazed around at the snow.

"Alright," Shiro said once everyone was outside. "We're going to split up into teams of two."

"Why?" Renji asked, gazing over at the young boy somewhat warily.

"You'll see," Shiro replied with an impish grin. "Now I'll be the leader of one team and Kin will be the leader of the other team. We'll chose teams and then the game will begin."

And so, once they had been broken up intp two separate teams, Shiro gestured toward a couple of walls that had until that moment gone unnoticed. The two forts were constructed completely of snow and ice and stood facing one another, at opposite ends of the courtyard. "And now," the young boy said, pausing to pick up a handful of snow. "SNOWBALL FIGHT!"

"What?" Ichigo exclaimed as he was nailed in the side of the head by a huge pile of snow.

"You heard what your son said Ichigo," Rukia said with a laugh as she picked up another pile of snow and tossed it at his head.

"You're going to pay for that," Ichigo said, eyeing his wife and at the same time raking up a huge pile of snow.

Laughter rang out through the air and after awhile everyone collapsed to the ground and merely lay there, breathing hard and laughing. Even Ichigo had to admit that the party and the snowball fight had been fun, much to Shiro's delight.

"Did you guys have fun?" Shiro asked as they made their way back to the Squad Five conference room.

"Yes," Ichigo and Rukia said together, nodding their heads emphatically. "Thank you Shiro."

"You're welcome," Shiro said in a quiet voice. "There's one more thing. It's tradition to give those you love a gift on Christmas. Dad, my gift to you is that I fixed your computer and managed to retrieve all of the data that you lost when you crashed the thing."

Ichigo's eyes lit up. He'd thought that all of the work that he'd actually done had been lost when he'd crashed his computer a couple of days ago and he was ecstatic to find out that his son had managed to save it. "Thanks kiddo."

Shiro nodded in his dad's direction and then he pulled a small box from behind his back. "Mom, this is for you."

Rukia took the small box, which was wrapped in white paper and tied up with a light blue bow, and gently undid the wrappings. She lifted the lid from the tiny box and gazed down at a pendant lying on a bed of white cotton. Rukia could tell that the pendant wasn't something that her son could have found in a store, in the shape of a delicate snowflake and looking as though it were actually made of ice.

"I made that," Shiro said softly, hoping that his mother liked his gift. "With kidou. Then Kin showed me how to put a barrier around it so that the ice won't melt. Do you like it?"

"Oh Shiro-chan," Rukia said, throwing her arms around her son and pulling him into a tight embrace. "I absolutely love it. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," Shiro said in a quiet voice, pleased to see that his parents no longer held those worried looks in their eyes. His plans had worked and they were, at least for the moment, free from stress.

A/N- About this chapter; I felt the pressing, urgent need to write a Christmas fic and this is the idea that popped into my head. I was originally going to post it as a one-shot companion piece however the time line fit since the last chapter took place on the 18th of December so I decided to just add it to the story. Hope you enjoyed it. Until next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	24. Seireitei Tournament

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach.

Chapter Twenty-Four- Seireitei Tournament

His paperwork caught up for once Head Captain Ukitake was sitting in his office sipping tea and completely lost in thought. The captains and vice-captains of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads hadn't had any real challenges since the time of Aizen and the Espada and Ukitake was somewhat concerned that their skills would lessen due to lack of use. Therefore he made the decision to organize a tournament between the captains and vice-captains.

_"This could be interesting," _the Head Captain thought to himself. _"A lot of the vice-captains are just as powerful as the captains so we'll just have one big tournament for everyone. That should. . ."_

Ukitake was jarred from his thoughts by a knock on the door. "Enter."

The door opened and Ukitake watched as his best friend, Squad Eight Captain Shunsui Kyouraku, walked across the room. Kyouraku was dressed in his usual bright pink, flowery haori and he had a broad grin on his face. "Daydreaming are you Jyuu?" he asked with a chuckle as he sat down beside his long time friend.

Ukitake shrugged. "Everyone else does it so I thought why not? At least I have all my paperwork completed, unlike some people I know."

"I can respect that," Kyouraku said, pointedly ignoring the part about unfinished paperwork which had more than likely been directed toward himself, Ichigo and Matsumoto, the three captains most likely to avoid paperwork at all costs. "So what were you pondering?"

"A tournament," Ukitake replied. "I don't want the top officers to grow soft in these times of peace so I'm going to hold a tournament to test their skills."

"Sounds like fun," Kyouraku said, a slight note of anticipation evident in his voice. "So when exactly are you holding this tournament?"

"Well," Ukitake said, a thoughtful expression on his face. "I need a little time to plan out a few things so let's go with one week from today. How does that sound Shunsui?"

"Sounds good to me," Kyouraku said.

* * *

So, exactly one week later, all of the captains and vice-captains assembled in the Squad One conference room. Typically Ichigo and Rukia were the last to arrive at the meeting and they were followed into the room by their son.

"I thought this was an official meeting," Renji said as the trio walked across the room. "So why the hell did you bring your kid Kurosaki?"

Ichigo spared Renji a glance. "Shiro is here because the only member of my squad who can manage to not lose him has the day off. However if you'd like to nominate someone from your own squad to watch him during this 'official meeting' then I'm all for it."

Renji glanced over at Shiro, who had an unconvincing look of innocence on his face, and had a sudden vision of Squad Nine in ruins. Renji averted his gaze from the white haired menace and quickly shook his head. "No that's okay Kurosaki. After all, he isn't hurting anything."

"That's what I thought," Ichigo said with a smirk.

"Alright let's get started," Ukitake said, although he too wore a grin. "I told you in the last meeting that we were going to hold a tournament and the purpose of today's meeting is to decide who will fight against whom."

"So how are we going to decide that sir?" Matsumoto asked. "Are you going to chose?"

Ukitake shook his head and held up a small basket. "This contains twenty-four pieces of paper, each of which has a number written on it. The numbers are one through twelve so you'll fight whoever has the number that matches your own. And Squad Four is exempt from participation because I just don't think that would be fair however I would like for them to attend just in case something gets out of hand."

Captain Unohana and Isane both nodded.

"Are you really going to have captains and vice-captains fighting one another?" Soi Fon asked.

Ukitake nodded. "It will be good experience for everyone and I would advise the captains not to underestimate the vice-captains. You may wind up regretting it later."

It was obvious by the look on her face that Soi Fon did not consider any of the vice-captains to be a worthy opponent however she didn't question Ukitake further. Once he was sure that the discussion wasn't going to go any further, Ukitake's gaze went to the boy who was standing between Ichigo and Rukia. "Toushirou come here for a minute."

Looking slightly confused, Shiro walked up to the Head Captain.

Ukitake handed the basket of numbers to the boy. "Take this around and let everyone pick a number. This way there can be no question of the draw being rigged. Then, once the first pairings have been determined, we'll go out to the training grounds for the first round."

Shiro nodded and set about walking around the room. The boy offered the basket to each captain and vice-captain in turn and soon everyone held a folded up strip of paper in their hands. Then, his task complete, Shiro walked back over to the spot where Head Captain Ukitake stood and offered him the basket.

"Thank you Shiro," Ukitake said, taking the nearly empty basket back from the boy and picking up the only number that was left inside it. "Okay so does everyone have their numbers?"

"Yes," the group chorused as one.

"Good," Ukitake said. "Okay, who has number one?"

Renji raised his hand and then gazed around the room to see who he would be facing. His eyes widened in disbelief as Byakuya Kuchiki raised his own hand. _"I can't believe this," _Renji thought to himself gleefully. _"I'm finally going to get the chance to pummel that smug face of his into the dirt without fear of consequences."_

"So our first match will be against Captain Abarai and Captain Kuchiki," Ukitake said, feeling a slight sense of foreboding. "Well, shall we go out to the training grounds and get the carnage over with?"

Everyone nodded and began to file out of the room.

"This should be interesting," Ichigo commented as he, Rukia and Shiro all left the conference room together.

Rukia didn't look nearly as happy about the match up as her husband did. "Interesting? It's going to be brutal and you know it. Renji's had a grudge against Nii-sama since the first time he laid eyes on him."

"I know," Ichigo said, an excited expression on his face. "I can't wait to see this battle."

"Ugh," Rukia groaned, rolling her eyes. Of course Ichigo would be happy about watching her brother and best friend fighting each other. Both of them had been his enemy at one point or another and apparently Ichigo still held a grudge to some extent.

_"This should be fun," _Shiro thought to himself as he followed his parents and the others out to the training grounds. This would be the first time he'd seen many of the captains fight and he couldn't help but be a little excited about the prospect.

Glancing down at her son and seeing the excited look in his blue-green eyes, Rukia shook her head. _"He is just like his father."_

When the group arrived out at the training grounds Renji and Byakuya both went out to the center and stood facing one another while the others assembled in a group some distance away. Head Captain Ukitake walked over to the two combatants. "Okay. Would either of you like to set any specifications for this fight?"

"Since this is just a training match I think we should settle this without the use of Bankai," Byakuya said in his usual calm tone, gazing over at Renji.

"That's fine with me," Renji said. "I don't need Bankai to kick your ass."

Ukitake nodded. "Very well. Then the fight will end when one of you either gives up or is unable to continue with the match and the use of Bankai will result in instant disqualification."

Both captains nodded.

Ukitake stepped back and joined the others. "Begin!"

"I've been waiting for this moment for a long time Kuchiki," Renji said as he unsheathed his zanpaktou.

"I've already beaten you once Renji," Byakuya said calmly as he drew his own sword. "This time will be no different."

"Oh but that's where you're wrong," Renji said, his voice filled with confidence. "I'm a hundred times better than I was then and this time you will be the one to fall. Howl Zabimaru."

The blade of Renji's zanpaktou transformed into it's released state and the Squad Nine Captain quickly swung it toward Byakuya. Byakuya used the blade of his sword and easily blocked Renji's first attack. There was a smug look on the Squad Six Captain's face as he gazed over at Renji. "That was pitiful."

Growling in anger Renji once again swung the blade of his sword toward his former captain.

Renji and Byakuya traded blows for a little while and then the blade of Zabimaru sliced through the scarf that Byakuya always wore and grazed the flesh of the captain's shoulder. Byakuya sucked in a sharp breath as he felt the white hot pain caused by the blade. Grabbing the torn scarf, Byakuya tossed it aside at the same time holding up his zanpaktou. "Scatter, Senbonzakura."

The blade of Byakuya's zanpaktou shattered into what appeared to be thousands of tiny flower petals. Swinging his sword in a circle around himself, Renji slashed at the flowers, which he knew to be tiny blades which only looked like flowers because of their reflection in the sunlight.

Shiro stared at the attack, which he knew to be Byakuya's Shikai, a weird expression on his face. "That attack looks really girly."

"Toushirou!" Rukia said, gazing down at her son.

"Well it does," Shiro said in typical little boy fashion. "I can't help it."

Ichigo's eyes left the battlefield for the briefest of moments and he gazed down at his son. "It's okay Shiro, I agree with you. Byakuya's attack is really girly."

**"ICHIGO!"**

"I'm slightly impressed Renji," Byakuya said, gazing over at his opponent. "You managed to destroy most of my blades. However the effort seems to have taken a lot out of you. Do you think you can survive a second attack?"

"Bring it on," Renji said, breathing slightly harder than usual but holding a determined look in his eyes.

"As you wish," Byakuya said.

Byakuya once again held up his sword however before he could summon his Shikai Renji swung his zanpaktou and hit the blade of Byakuya's. The Captain of Squad Six managed to hold on to his sword, but only just so, and he was knocked off balance. Using his flash-step Renji appeared in front of his former captain, swinging his sword fiercely. Instantly on the defensive, Byakuya blocked blow after blow from Renji however he found himself unable to launch an attack of his own.

"Hmm," Ichigo thought to himself as he watched the fight between his two former rivals. _"I wouldn't believe it if I weren't seeing it with my own eyes but against a normal opponent Renji's actually pretty good. I guess all those training sessions where I kicked his ass actually paid off."_

Ichigo's thoughts were interrupted as he noticed that a large crowd had begun to gather around the combatants. News of the tournament had apparently spread throughout the Seireitei and they now had a fairly large audience.

* * *

The fight between Renji and Byakuya lasted for nearly an hour and a half however the Captain of Squad Nine finally managed to land a direct blow and the Captain of Squad Six fell to his knees. Using his flash-step Renji appeared in front of Byakuya and pressed the tip of his zanpaktou to his throat.

"Apparently this round goes to you," Byakuya said in an emotionless voice.

Renji instantly removed the tip of his sword from Byakuya's throat and sheathed it. "I told you this time I would be victorious."

"Winner Abarai!" Ukitake called out above the cheers of the crowd. "Okay who has number two?"

"That would be me," Ichigo called out, excited about the prospect of fighting something stronger than the pitiful Hollow that he dealt with on a daily basis.

"Alright," Ukitake said, scanning the group of captains and vice-captains. "Who else has number two?"

The vice-captain of Squad Three, Yuki Kamei, raised his hand and as everyone turned to face him they noticed that his face was solid white, almost a perfect match for Shiro's hair. The man's eyes were twice their normal size and he was shaking uncontrollably. Walking forward he turned to face Ichigo and the two combatants raised their swords.

"Begin!"

Ichigo lifted Zangetsu and was about to swing the huge sword when Kamei fell to his knees. "I forfeit!"

"Oh come on," Ichigo said, his eyes narrowed. "It's not like I'm gonna kill you or anything."

"Winner Kurosaki!"

"Dammit," Ichigo swore as he sheathed his zanpaktou and walked back over to his spot beside Rukia and Shiro.

"That was real exciting Dad," Shiro said once Ichigo had rejoined them. The boy's voice was filled with sarcasm and he was gazing up at his father with a taunting expression in his blue-green eyes.

Ichigo gazed down at his son, who was smirking. "Oh shut up."

"Who has number three?" Ukitake called out.

"I do," Captain of Squad Eleven, Ikkaku Madarame, called out in an excited voice. "So who is my opponent?"

The vice-captain of Squad Thirteen, Sumi Teshima, raised her hand. "That would be me."

Teshima and Ikkaku walked toward one another, followed by Ukitake. "Do you have any specifications for battle?"

"I request that we settle this by sheer strength," Ikkaku said, holding up his zanpaktou.

"Fine by me," Teshima said, unsheathing her own sword.

* * *

_"Well that was a short fight," _Ukitake thought to himself as Ikkaku's opponent fell. "Alright who has number four?"

"I do."

Ichigo and Shiro both turned to stare as Rukia held up her slip of paper.

"So do I."

There was disdain in the voice of the Squad Two Captain as she too held up a small strip of paper. It was obvious to everyone that she did not view Rukia as a worthy opponent, although she chose not to complain about it to anyone.

"Better watch yourself Soi Fon. Don't let your guard down because of her rank or you will regret it."

"Yoruichi!"

"Hello Yoruichi," Ukitake said as the former Captain of Squad Two made her way to the front of the crowd. "And what brings you to the Seireitei?"

"I heard about your little tournament Ukitake," Yoruichi replied. "And I had to come and see it for myself."

Ukitake nodded and made his way toward the two combatants, both of whom had made their way to the center of the battlefield and stood facing one another. "I realize that the others had a choice about the special circumstances of their battles," Ukitake said. "However given the nature of Soi Fon's zanpaktou I think this battle should be decided on strength."

"I have an alternative if I may," Soi Fon said. "We could always use kidou."

"That's a great idea," Rukia said, a smile spreading across her face.

Shiro turned and gazed up at his dad at this point. "Is this good or bad?"

Ichigo grinned down at the boy, a reassuring look in his eyes. "Soi Fon doesn't know what she's gotten herself in to. But she's about to find out."

Shiro nodded and turned back to watch the fight. If his dad wasn't worried then there wasn't any reason for him to be and he had to admit that he was anxious to see what his mom could do. He'd only seen her fight a handful of times and always against really weak opponents. Shiro was not disappointed as he watched his mother launch kidou after kidou at her opponent. He'd never seen his mother fight with such passion and she proved to be too much for the over confident Captain of Squad Two.

Soi Fon gaped up at Rukia from the spot where she was kneeling on the ground. She'd had no idea that the Squad Five vice-captain was so powerful however she now greatly regretted the fact that she'd underestimated her. Bowing her head she admitted defeat. "You win, I can't fight any more."

Rukia inclined her head to the Squad Two Captain and then made her way back over to the spot where her husband and son were standing. Shiro had an excited expession on his face and Rukia placed her hand on top of his white hair as she came to stand beside him.

**"THAT WAS AWESOME MOM!" **the young boy exclaimed.

"Thank you Shiro-chan," Rukia said with a smile, tousling her son's already unruly white hair.

"Shiro's right," Ichigo said. "That really was awesome."

"You sound surprised Captain," Rukia said with a small smile.

"Not in the least," Ichigo said, choosing to ignore the irreverant tone in which she said the word captain. "I knew how that battle would end before it began. She was too caught up on the fact that you were a mere vice-captain. She forgot you were also one of the top masters of kidou."

"Number Five," Ukitake called once Rukia and Soi Fon had left the battlefield. Matsumoto held up her hand and was mirrored by the vice-captain of Squad Nine, Chojiro Hanari.

"Oooh," Matsumoto said as Renji's vice-captain stepped forward. The two of them had been rivals ever since their days together at the Shinigami Academy and she delighted in giving the man a hard time. He was just such an easy target. "This should be fun."

Hanari pointed his index finger at the Squad Ten Captain. "Fun isn't exactly a word I would use when facing defeat but then you've always been weird."

"Flattery will get you nowhere," Matsumoto said as she turned to face him.

"Okay," Ukitake said. "Do you wish to set any specifications for the battle?"

"I refuse to pull any punches," Hanari said as he gazed into Matsumoto's eyes. "I intend to fight you with everything that I have and I suggest you do the same."

"As you wish," Matsumoto said, pulling her zanpaktou from the sheath that she wore behind her back.

"Dad," Shiro said, his gaze once again leaving the battlefield and coming to rest on the face of his dad. "Are they friends or enemies? I can't tell."

"Don't feel bad," Ichigo said. "It's hard for the rest of us too. They've been rivals for years but there's no true animosity between them. At least I don't think there is."

"Okay," Shiro said, not really any less confused than he'd been before he'd asked the question.

Hanari unsheathed his sword and held the blade out in front of him. "Prepare yourself."

"I'm as prepared as I need to be to beat you Jiro," Matsumoto said with a smirk.

"**DON'T** call me that," Hanari growled, his eyes narrowing as he glared over at her.

"This is boring," Shiro commented, bored by the endless talk and the fairly short battles. "Can I go now?"

Both Ichigo and Rukia turned and gazed down at their son with identical looks on their faces. "NO!"

The battle between Matsumoto and Hanari was fairly typical, with neither fighter gaining any distinct advantage, and after about fifteen minutes both paused to catch their breath. "I can't believe you're a captain now," Hanari growled as he struggled to catch his breath. "And all because that Hitsugaya kid went and got himself. . ."

**"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" **Matsumoto's voice was low however every word carried with amazing clarity and her tone was deadly serious. "Bankai!"

The blade of Matsumoto's zanpaktou exploded and the air was filled with thick gray smoke.

"I think he made her mad," Shiro commented.

Ichigo nodded tensly. The stupid idiot had screwed up and said something forbidden. Head Captain Ukitake had banned the topic of Captain Hitsugaya when they found out that Shiro was reliving the late captain's memories, since they didn't know what could trigger one of the boy's episodes.

Ichigo's hands were clenched into fists however he relaxed slightly when he felt a gentle hand on his arm. He glanced over at his wife and Rukia offered him a smile. "It's okay," she mouthed.

**"WOW!" **Shiro exclaimed. "It's a giant cat!"

Ichigo and Rukia both focused their gazes back on the battlefield and when they did they saw the familiar, large feline that was comprised of ash.

"That is **SO COOL**!" Shiro exclaimed.

Matsumoto raised the hilt of her sword and the large cat leapt toward Hanari, who managed to raise his sword but was unable to fully block the attack. Hanari braced his feet as Matsumoto's Bankai pushed him backward and he felt a sharp pain as the ash cat's claws grazed his flesh. The Squad Nine vice-captain sucked in a sharp breath and attempted to knock the beast back with his sword.

Unfortunately for him the huge cat merely exploded and then reformed beside Matsumoto. "Damn."

Feeling absolutely no pity for her opponent, Matsumoto once again directed the ash cat toward Hanari.

"I think my earlier comment was a major understatement," Shiro said as he watched the battle intently. "She's WAY beyond mad."

"I think you're right Shiro-chan," Rukia said, relieved that Hanari's earlier comment apparently hadn't registered with her son.

Hanari swung his zanpaktou in an attempt to disperse the ashes that comprised Matsumoto's Bankai and although that approach worked fairly well, it was pointless because the cat just reformed somewhere else and then attacked again.

After several more slashes from the cat Hanari fell to his knees. Matsumoto held up the hilt of her zanpaktou and watched as the cat exploded in a cloud of ash, which quickly reformed into the blade of her sword. Sheathing Haineko, the Squad Ten Captain walked over to the spot where her opponent knelt. Leaning over Matsumoto growled, in a voice only her defeated opponent could hear, "Did you forget that you're not supposed to mention Captain Hitsugaya in front of the kid, you moron?"

Hanari's eyes widened and his gaze shifted quickly to the white-haired child who stood between the Squad Five Captain and vice-captain.

"You're lucky nothing happened," Matsumoto whispered as she offered Hanari her hand. "Or you would have been beaten to a bloody pulp by half of the people assembled here, if not more."

"Didn't think," Hanari said in a low voice as he accepted Matsumoto's proffered hand.

"Obviously," Matsumoto said with a smirk as she pulled him to his feet.

"Ow, ow, ow," Hanari whined. "Can't you be a little more careful? I'm injured you know."

"And you're a whiny little runt," Matsumoto stated, rolling her eyes and gazing over at the Head Captain. "So what's the verdict?"

"Winner, Matsumoto."

"That's what I thought," Matsumoto said with a smirk as she and Hanari took their places back in the crowd.

Ukitake grabbed the Squad Nine vice-captain by the sleeve as he walked by and whispered, "From now on, be more careful about what you say."

"Yes sir."

Ukitake nodded and once again turned to face the group. "Next."

The vice-captain of Squad Seven, Tetsuzaimon Iba, stepped forward, followed by Hisagi.

"This could be bad," Iba commented as he and Hisagi squared off against one another. Hisagi shook his head. "It'll be fun. We haven't sparred since my days as a vice-captain and I'm anxious to see what you can do."

Iba grinned. "I must admit, I've been wondering how much you've improved as well Captain Hisagi."

As it turned out Hisagi and Iba were actually fairly evenly matched however in the end the Captain of Squad Thirteen came out victorious.

"And I have number seven," Ukitake said, gazing around the group. "So who am I fighting against?"

That question was answered by an exclaimation of pure happiness and seconds later Captain Kyouraku emerged from the crowd, a wide grin spread across his face. "Should have known," Ukitake said. "If I didn't know better I'd say the draw was rigged."

"This is better than anything I could have hoped for," Kyouraku said.

"Try to curb your enthusiasm just a little Shunsui," Ukitake said, shaking his head. "I think we may be just a little old for this."

"Oh no," Ichigo called out from his spot at the front of the crowd. "This was all YOUR idea so you can't back out now."

"I never said anything about backing out," Ukitake said as he walked toward the center of this battlefield. "I just don't think my best friend should be so excited about having the opportunity to beat me up."

"So now the two old men are going to fight?" Shiro said, fixing the two combatants with an appraising stare.

"Yea," Ichigo said. "This should be good."

"Really?" Shiro asked, a slightly surprised tone in his voice.

"Oh yea," Rukia said, in full agreement with her husband. "Those two have been captains longer than anyone and I doubt whether anyone other than them knows the full extent of their powers."

"Hmm," Shiro said thoughtfully.

Ukitake and Kyouraku stood in the center of the battlefield and Ukitake shrugged. "Do you want to set any limits for this?"

"Oh hell no," Kyouraku replied.

"Didn't think so," Ukitake said as he drew his zanpaktou. "Alright then, shall we get started?"

Kyouraku nodded and drew his own blades.

Ukitake held his zanpaktou up in front of him. "All winds rise now and become my shield. Lightening strike now and become my blade, Sogyo no Kotowari!"

Shiro watched as Head Captain Ukitake's single blade divided into dual blades, held together by a length of cord attached to both hilts.

Captain Kyouraku crossed his two blades. "Flower wind rage and flower god roar. Heavenly wind rage and heavenly demon sneer, Katen Kyoukotsu!"

The blades of Kyouraku's swords doubled in size and he uncrossed them and held them out in front of him.

"Wow," Shiro said. "That's kinda cool."

"Wait," Ichigo said. "It gets better."

Ukitake and Kyouraku stood facing one another with their dual swords held out in front of them, each sizing up the other. Then Kyouraku dashed toward his old friend, swinging his dual blades furiously. Ukitake blocked both blades with his own and Kyouraku jumped back with a wide grin on his face.

"Excellent," Kyouraku said with a smile as he and Ukitake once again faced one another. "I was afraid you might have grown rusty."

"Rusty?" Ukitake said with a chuckle. "I train every day, unlike some people. If anyone's rusty then it should be you."

"You train every day with a nine year old," Kyouraku said.

"You should try it sometime," Ukitake said with a chuckle. The Head Captain raised his blades above his head and then pulled them down in a slashing motion. A giant wave of water erupted from the tip of both blades and flew toward Captain Kyouraku, who stood watching with a smile on his face. As soon as the waves got close to him Kyouraku twirled his twin blades and produced a large tornado, which quickly made short work of Ukitake's attack.

Shiro stood watching the battle, his eyes wide in amazement. "Wow. They're really awesome."

"Told you so," Ichigo said, gazing down at his son.

Ukitake and Kyouraku fought for awhile, each matching the other move for move, and then the two older captains abruptly lowered their swords. Their movements were simultaneous and it appeared as though they were communicating with one another telepathically as they approached each other and bowed.

"Good match," Kyouraku said, gripping his best friend's outstretched hand.

"Same to you," Ukitake said. "You're as good as you've always been."

"Hey!" Shiro exclaimed, watching this exchange between the two old captains. "What the heck just happened?"

"It seems we'll still never get to see the true extent of their powers," Ichigo said with a sigh. "Oh well. Didn't really expect for them to go all out for just a trainig tournament. But I had my hopes."

"Are you sure I can't go?" Shiro asked, beginning to grow bored with the tournament. It had been fun at first however the fights weren't exactly what he'd been expecting and the boy couldn't help but think that he could have more fun somewhere else.

"NO!" his parents said in unison.

"Ugh."

The next battle only added to Shiro's boredom as it was Sentaro verses the Squad Six vice-captain, Izumo Okita. The battle was of moderate length however nothing spectacular happened and in the end Sentaro emerged victorious.

"Alright," Ukitake said as one of his co-third seats walked away from the battlefield. "Who has number nine?"

At this point in the game Shiro tuned out the voice of the Head Captain and allowed his thoughts to wander He'd already seen all the fights he was interested in seeing and his mind wandered away from the battlefield and settled, of its own accord, on a vision that Shiro had no prior knowledge of. Shiro saw Hinamori standing at the edge of a clearing and looking worried and he heard himself yelling at her that she needed to get away from there. She didn't and then. . .

A small gasp escaped the young boy as his consciousness came back to him. "What the heck was that?" the boy thought to himself, gazing around quickly to see whether or not anyone had noticed this little episode. Thankfully for him everyone's attention was focused on the battlefield and Shiro gathered that no one had been paying any attention to him.

_"This is all so confusing,"_ the young boy thought to himself. _"I really don't understand. . ." _The young boy had been having these visions for quite some time now and each new vision was more confusing than the last. Shiro had no idea what was causing him to see visions involving people that he knew but events that he had no prior knowledge of.

"Shiro."

The boy was jarred from his thoughts by the sound of his name and a light touch on his shoulder. Gazing up Shiro looked into the eyes of his dad. "You ready to go Shiro?"

Shiro gazed around and saw that the crowd was beginning to disperse. Exactly how long had he been zoned out? "Is the tournament over already?"

"Just round one," Ichigo told his son with a chuckle. He'd known that the fighting wouldn't hold his son's attention forever and to be completely honest he was amazed that Shiro had lasted as long as he had. "Round two picks up tomorrow."

Shiro nodded. "I wasn't exactly paying attention toward the end so who exactly. . ."

Shiro's voice trailed off as his dad offered him a knowing smile. "Captain Yayashi fought against Yumichika and won, Vice-captain Ise fought against Captain Erisawa and won, Kin fought against the Squad Twelve vice-captain, Hajime Nakano and won, and Captain Komamura fought against the Squad Two vice-captain, Rintaro Asai and won."

Shiro nodded. "Were any of the fights good?"

"Well," Ichigo said. "The fight between Nanao and Natsumi was pretty good. Apparently no one knew exactly how good at kidou Nanao really is. She took out the Squad Three Captain in no time flat. It was kind of impressive actually. Any way come on kiddo, it's time to go home. I know that look and if we hang around this boring place too much longer there will be trouble."

"Dad. . ."

"It's the truth and you know it."

A/N- Fight! This tournament has three parts, the last of which is the most important to the plot of the story. I apologize for the relatively short fight scenes; it's really hard to write fight scenes for people that you've never actually seen fight and a lot of these people are OCs. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this latest installment of Shiro's story. Feel free to review and let me know what you think. Until next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	25. Round Two

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach.

Chapter Twenty-Five- Round Two

"Come on Shiro-chan, you have to hurry up," Rukia called out from her position at the bottom of the stairs. "If we don't leave now then we're going to be late."

A few minutes passed and then the young, white-haired boy slowly descended the stairs, looking for all the world as though he were on his way to his execution.

Rukia arched a brow as she gazed at her son's forlorn look. "And what exactly is up with that look Toushirou?"

"This is going to be boring," Shiro complained as he came to a stop beside his mother.

"I'm sure it won't be that bad," Rukia told him as mother and son turned and made their way across the room to the stairs that led down to the basement. Ichigo was already in the basement and he watched as his family descended the stairs to join him. "It's about time. I was beginning to think you guys had decided not to come."

Shiro glanced up hopefully. "Is that really an option?!"

"No," Rukia said quickly, shaking her head and gazing down at her son. "You have to come so just suck it up."

Shiro sighed and then caught a glimpse of the sympathetic look that his dad was giving him. Apparently Ichigo felt his pain and it occurred to the boy that his mother was currently treating him the same way that she routinely treated his dad.

"Cheer up Shiro," Ichigo said as he reached out his hand and activated the Senkaimon. "On the bright side you may get to see some pretty awesome fights this time around."

"You think?" Shiro said, gazing up at his dad.

"Maybe," Ichigo said, thinking to himself that he'd say just about anything at this point in order to convince his son to come along to Soul Society without making a big deal about it.

"Do you think you'll actually get to fight this time?" the boy asked with a smirk.

"Hey!" Ichigo exclaimed, pointing his index finger at his son and glaring at him in warning. "It's not my fault that Kamei chose to forfeit."

"Actually Ichigo it technically is," Rukia spoke up. "You do kinda have a reputation."

Shiro smirked as a scowl appeared on Ichigo's face however the Squad Five Captain knew better than to argue with his wife. "Let's just go," he growled instead.

So the small family made their way to the Seireitei and, once there, they went immediately to the Squad One barracks.

"Look who it is," Renji called out as Ichigo, Rukia and Shiro entered the Squad One conference room. "The only combatant who won his fight by forfeit."

"Shut it!" Ichigo snapped, glaring at Renji with an 'I'm going to kill you' look.

"Alright," Ukitake said in his calming voice as he took his place at the front of the room. "Is everyone ready for round two of the Seireitei tournament?"

There were nods all around the room, some more enthusiastic than others, and Ukitake nodded. He picked up a basket that had been sitting on the floor at his feet and offered it to Shiro, who obediently walked forward and accepted the basket from the Head Captain.

"Same routine as before," Ukitake said as Shiro walked around the room and offered the basket to the people assembled there. "The basket contains twelve slips of paper, numbered one through six. Your opponent will be whoever's number matches your own."

Once everyone had chosen a slip of paper Shiro brought the basket back to the front of the room.

"Thanks Shiro-chan," Ukitake said as he placed the empty basket on the edge of his desk.

"No problem," Shiro said as he took his place between his parents.

"So," Ukitake said, surveying the group. "Who has number one?"

"That would be me," Hisagi said, his gaze shifting around the room in search of his opponent.

"Ooh yay!" Matsumoto exclaimed, practically jumping up and down in excitement. "And me!"

"This should be good," Ichigo said as everyone turned and began to make their way toward the door.

Matsumoto chuckled softly as she fell in step beside the Kurosaki family. "Yea, it really should."

As the combatants made their way out to the training grounds they soon saw that a crowd had already gathered there. "Damn," Ichigo said, gazing around at the massive group of Shinigami that had assembled around the training grounds. "Looks like news traveled a lot faster this time around."

"Guess they're here to witness you win another fight without even raising your sword," Renji said.

"Maybe they're hoping someone will actually have enough backbone to fight me this time," Ichigo retorted. "And I did raise my sword you moron. That's as far as I got."

"I think you two should fight," Shiro commented from his spot a few feet away.

"That's funny Shiro," Renji said. "I was just thinking the same thing about you and your dad."

"Okay!" Shiro exclaimed, a wide grin appearing on his face at the thought of facing his dad in a fight.

"Not a chance," Ichigo and Rukia both said in one voice.

"Feels like we should have an announcer or something," Matsumoto commented as she and Hisagi took their places in the center of the make shift arena.

"Well," Hisagi said. "I'm sure you could get Shiro to do it."

That thought brought a smile to Matsumoto's face. "The audio commentary would definitely be interesting."

"That's probably putting it mildly," Ukitake said as he turned to face the two combatants. "So, you both know how this works. Do you have any specifications for the fight?"

Hisagi glanced over at Matsumoto and then the two of them shook their heads. "We'll just see where it goes."

Ukitake nodded at the Squad Thirteen Captain and then stepped back. "Begin."

The two captains each drew their zanpaktou and squared off against one another. Then, after circling one another twice, each one sizing up the other, Hisagi launched the first attack. Matsumoto raised her sword to block and then used Haineko to knock her opponent off balance.

"Nice," Hisagi conceded as he recovered from her counter attack.

"Thank you," Matsumoto said as she used her flash-step to dash toward him. The Squad Ten Captain swung her sword furiously and it was all Hisagi could do to block the attacks and he was left with no time to launch any further attacks of his own.

"Man," Squad Ten vice-captain Kin Soma exclaimed. "The captain's not playing around."

"For real," Kyouraku said with a grin.

Shiro glanced from one combatant to the other and then he turned back to the adults who were standing around him, a confused expression on his face. "I don't get how you can call that not playing around."

"What do you mean Shiro-chan?" Kin asked, gazing down at the young boy.

Shiro rolled his eyes. "They're just sword fighting, they haven't even used Shikai yet."

"Do you think that makes it less of a fight Toushirou?" Kyouraku asked.

"That's not it," Shiro said, shaking his head. "But I don't get it. Why does everyone avoid using Bankai? If I could do Bankai then I wouldn't even waste my time on the other stuff."

The adults all gazed down at the child, knowing looks in their eyes. Ichigo especially knew where the kid was coming from since he'd had similar thoughts. In fact he was still far more likely to use Bankai in battle than the vast majority of Shinigami. Most used it only as a last resort.

"Just because you can do something doesn't mean that you should," a new voice said, joining the conversation.

"Hey Momo," Rukia said as the former vice-captain of Squad Five came to a stop beside her.

Hinamori smiled. "I just finished with class and I heard about this tournament from some of my students. I missed the last one so when I heard about this one I decided that I really wanted to see it this time."

"Good of you to join the fun," Ichigo said, his gaze shifting back to the two combatants who were out on the field of battle. "You've arrived just in time to watch your hubby fight with Matsumoto."

"Hmm," Hinamori said, a thoughtful expression on her face as her gaze followed Ichigo's out to the battlefield.

"You've really improved over the years Rangiku," Hisagi said as he and Matsumoto paused briefly to catch their breath.

"You too," Matsumoto said, holding up her zanpaktou. "What do you say Shuhei, shall we take it to the next level?"

Hisagi nodded. "Sure, why not? It could be fun."

"Roar Haineko!"

Shiro watched as the blade of Matsumoto's zanpaktou exploded in a puff of gray smoke and his eyes suddenly slid out of focus as his thoughts left the current battlefield and settled on another one. A strange one.

"Captain!"

His gaze left the beast he was battling and came to rest several feet below, where Matsumoto was lying a second beast approaching her, a malicious gleam in it's eyes.

"What the. . ." Shiro shook his head in an attempt to rid himself of this unwanted and slightly disturbing vision.

"Shiro-chan," Hinamori said in a quiet voice, gazing down at the boy who stood at her side. "Are you okay?"

"Of course," Shiro replied, offering Hinamori a small and somewhat forced smile.

* * *

The first battle of round two continues for nearly an hour before Matsumoto finally emerged victorious.

"That's okay Shuhei," Hinamori said as her husband came to stand beside her. She placed her hand on his arm and stood on her toes so that she could give him a kiss on the cheek. "You did good."

"Thanks Momo," Hisagi said, offering his wife a smile. "That was actually kind of fun."

"Glad you enjoyed yourself," Matsumoto said as she came to stand on Hinamori's other side, just behind Shiro.

"Very nice battle," Ukitake complimented before he asked, "Alright, who has number two?"

Captain Kyouraku stepped forward with a broad smile on his face. "Can I just skip this and go have a drink Jyuu? I've already participated in the battle that I was looking forward to."

"Sorry Shunsui," Ukitake told his best friend with a shake of his head. "But forfeit's not an option for you."

A thoughtful expression appeared on the face of the Squad Eight Captain.

Head Captain Ukitake could practically see the wheels turning in his friend's head. "And trust me when I say I'll know if you throw the match."

Kyouraku sighed as he watched the Squad Twelve captain walk toward him. It seemed there would be no way to get out of the fight so he resigned himself and drew his twin blades.

"Well this doesn't really seem fair," Ichigo commented as the two combatants turned to face one another. "Kyouraku versus the lab rat, I mean come on. Does anyone here think that's a good idea?"

Everyone in the vicinity merely shrugged.

* * *

For once Ichigo actually had a valid argument as Captain Yayashi turned out to be no match for Captain Kyouraku. The Squad Twelve Captain fell to Kyouraku's dual blades in less than fifteen minutes. "See?" the Squad Five Captain said as the two combatants left the battlefield. "I told you it wasn't fair."

Once again everyone merely shrugged.

"Number three?" Ukitake called out.

Sentaro stepped forward eagerly, followed a few steps back by Nanao.

"Alright," Kyouraku called out, making his way to the front of the crowd so that he would have a better view of the upcoming battle. "You can do it! Make me proud my little Nanao-chan."

Nanao blushed a deep shade of crimson and turned to glare furiously at her captain. "I am NOT your little Nanao-chan!"

"Would either of you like to set any specifications for this battle?" Ukitake asked, struggling to ignore Captain Kyouraku who seemed intent on causing as much of a distraction as possible.

Nanao blushed a deeper shade of red and shook her head, trying desperately to ignore the words of encouragement that were being shouted at her by her captain.

"I have no requests either my captain," Sentaro said.

"Okay then," Ukitake said, stepping back toward the crowd of on-lookers. "Begin."

Sentaro immediately rushed forward, swinging his zanpaktou. Nanao made no move to block the series of attacks and it looked as though the fight was destined to be a short one. The crowd gasped however at the last possible moment Sentaro's sword was knocked from his hands by an unexpected kidou blast.

"Damn!" Ichigo exclaimed in surprise as Kyouraku called out, "Way to go Nanao-chan!"

Sentaro stumbled back, knocked off balance by the force of the kidou blast, and then dashed across the training grounds in a desperate attempt to reclaim his zanpaktou.

"Red Flame Cannon!"

Sentaro sensed the attack coming and dodged to the left, escaping the attack with barely a second to spare.

"Wow," Shiro said as he watched the battle intently, his boredom gone for the first time all day. "You guys didn't tell me the Squad Eight vice-captain was so good."

"To be completely honest with you Shiro none of us knew," Rukia told her son. "Captain Kyouraku's really protective of Nanao so she doesn't fight all that often. I think that's the reason why everyone has the tendency to underestimate her."

"Looks like that would be their bad," Shiro said as his gaze went back to the fight.

"Looks like," Ichigo said, nodding his head in agreement.

"Six Bars of Light!"

Sentaro was immediately frozen in place by Nanao's binding kidou and he could do nothing except stare in horror as the next attack came straight for him.

"Pale Fire Crash!"

Sentaro fell to this attack and he lay on the ground, gasping for breath. Nanao stood a few feet away, waiting to see whether or not her opponent was going to rise.

He did not.

"Winner Ise," Ukitake announced as a couple of members of Squad Four came forward and helped Sentaro leave the battlefield.

"Way to go Nanao-chan!" Captain Kyouraku called out loudly as his vice-captain turned and began to walk away from the battlefield.

"You know I really thought that would happen sooner," Shiro commented as Nanao rejoined her captain, still glaring at him over the comments that he had made.

"What?" Rukia asked, thinking that her son was being mean.

"Someone needing Squad Four," Shiro replied.

"Oh," Rukia said, nodding her head in agreement. "Actually so did I."

"Well that was certainly an interesting fight," Ukitake said, his gaze going momentarily to his third seat. Then, once he had reassured himself that Sentaro would be okay, he turned his attention back to the crowd. "Next."

"Well," Rukia said, placing her hand on top of Shiro's soft white hair. "Wish me luck."

"Good luck," Shiro said.

"You won't need it," Ichigo added as his wife stepped away from them. Rukia merely smiled at his confidence on her behalf and continued walking. The Squad Seven Captain, Sajin Komamura, also stepped forward and together the two of them walked across the training grounds, coming to stand in front of the Head Captain.

"Any battle requests?" Ukitake asked the standard question.

The two combatants shook their heads in unison and, with a nod, Ukitake stepped back. "Begin."

Komamura bowed to Rukia, who returned the gesture, and then the two Shinigami drew their zanpaktou.

"Mom seems to be fighting a lot of Captains," Shiro commented as he watched his mother cross swords with the Squad Seven Captain.

"You noticed that too as well huh kid?" Matsumoto said, her gaze focused on the battle that was raging a few yards away. "Your mother has definite skills and could probably become a Captain herself if not for her loyalty to your dad."

Ichigo smirked. "It's not loyalty to me that keeps her around. She just knows that Squad Five would completely fall apart without her."

"Probably true," Hinamori said with a smile. "You know that really should tell you something Ichigo."

"I can't help the fact that I hate paperwork," Ichigo snapped, glaring at his friends who were all laughing hysterically at him.

_"I can't help the fact that I'm not as obsessed with paperwork as you are."_

_"I'm not obsessed with paperwork. I just realize that it has to be done whether or not I enjoy it."_

"Shiro-chan are you sure you're okay?" Hinamori's voice broke through the veil of Shiro's mind and the young boy stared up into her concerned face.

"I'm fine," Shiro assured her, doing his best to appear as fine as he told her that he was.

Hinamori didn't really look convinced by the boy's assurance however she let the matter go.

"Winner Rukia."

_"_That was fast," Shiro said, turning to watch as his mother left the battlefield. _"And thanks to that little journey into the unknown and Momo's subsequent questioning I missed most of it."_

"See?" Ichigo said as his wife rejoined their little group. "I told you that you wouldn't need luck."

"Number five," Ukitake called out.

"That would be me!" the Captain of Squad Eleven, Ikkaku Madarame, called out, rushing toward the battlefield, a broad grin on his face.

"This should be fun," Renji muttered as he walked toward the battlefield, his pace measurably slower than Ikkaku's had been.

"I'm bored," Shiro complained as the two captains turned to face one another.

"Deal with it," Ichigo said, his gaze focused intently on the two combatants who were facing one another out on the battlefield. The battle that his old rival fought against Byakuya had really surprised him and Ichigo couldn't wait to see how he would fair against the exuberant, battle-loving captain of Squad Eleven.

As it turned out the battle was a long one, with both combatants fairly evenly matched however Renji finally managed to overcome Ikkaku and emerged victorious.

"You know, against normal people you aren't half bad bone boy," Ichigo said as Renji walked back over to the spot where they were standing.

"You're next Kurosaki," Renji stated, pointing his index finger at his former rival.

"Sure," Ichigo said, rolling his eyes. "Whatever you say."

"Number six," Ukitake called out, interrupting the verbal argument before it had the chance to escalate into a full-fledged fight.

All eyes shifted to the only two competitors in round two who had yet to fight; Ichigo and the Squad Ten Vice-Captain.

"Guess that would be us," Ichigo said, slightly curious as to whether or not Kin would agree to fight him. After all, his last opponent had forfeited less that ten seconds into the match.

"Guess so," Kin said in her quiet, calm voice, unsheathing her zanpaktou.

"Alright!" Ichigo exclaimed, making his way out to the battleground. "Someone finally has the guts to fight me."

Kin shrugged as she followed the enthusiastic Captain of Squad Five. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"Use kidou," Shiro called out as the two combatants turned to face one another. "He's really lousy at it."

Ichigo turned to glare at his son. "That's about enough outta you."

Shiro merely smirked as he watched his dad turn back to face Kin. The last time he'd witnessed her fight it had been against Matsumoto and even then she hadn't released her zanpaktou. All thoughts of boredom disappeared as he focused his gaze on Kin and his dad. _"This should be good," _the young boy thought to himself.

"Do you want to set any special guidelines?" Head Captain Ukitake asked, once the two combatants had taken their respective places.

Ichigo and Kin gazed at one another for the briefest of moments and then they simultaneously shook their heads.

"Very well then," Ukitake said, stepping back out of the way. "You may begin."

The battle began almost instantaneously. Ichigo and Kin both rushed forward and the sound of their swords clashing echoed throughout the training grounds. Then, almost as soon as their swords touched, both Shinigami jumped back. The two combatants exchanged blows with their zanpaktou for a few minutes before they paused in their battle to gaze over at one another.

"Not bad," Ichigo said as he propped Zangetsu on his shoulder and gazed over at the Squad Ten vice-captain.

"Thanks," Kin said, nodding her head in his direction. "But do me a favor and stop going easy on me."

Ichigo's eyes widened as he heard her request. He hadn't even realized that he'd been holding back however Kin had picked up on his subconscious desire to go easy on her and apparently she didn't like it not one little bit. "Alright then. I promise I'll be serious about this from now on."

This said Ichigo once again raised his zanpaktou and he pointed it toward Kin. "Getsuga Tenshou!"

A bright flash of light erupted from the tip of Zangetsu and Kin smiled as she watched the attack sail toward her. At the last possible second she swung her own zanpaktou and knocked Ichigo's attack into the sky and away from her. As the burst of light soared toward the heavens Kin raised her zanpaktou and called out, "Sing to the clear winter moon, Youkai Ookami!"

The haunting howl of a wolf echoed through the air as Kin's zanpaktou assumed it's Shikai form. The blade of the sword turned from the gray color of steel to the purest white and it seemed to be surrounded by a white aura. At the same time a huge shadow seemed to surrounded Kin and it formed the silhouette of a huge wolf.

"Wow," Shiro breathed as he watched Kin dash toward his dad with increased speed.

The sound of two swords clashing together rang out through the silence however those who were watching the battle had to strain their eyes to see the two blurs that were zipping around the battleground. Only the most trained of the Shinigami, as well as Shiro who was naturally gifted, were able to see the battle that was raging and even they were having difficulty keeping up.

"Check it out," Shiro said in a quiet voice, holding up his hand and catching a couple of snowflakes in his palm.

"It's the power of Kin's zanpaktou," Matsumoto said, smiling down at the boy. "Youkai Ookami, like Hyourinmaru, is ice/snow based."

"That's awesome!" Shiro exclaimed. He'd known that Kin had a connection with ice, since she'd used kidou to help him with his preparations for that Christmas party for his parents, however he hadn't realized that her zanpaktou was ice based like his.

"What is it with you people and cold?!" Ichigo growled, wiping the snowflakes from his shoulders and rolling his eyes.

"What's the matter Captain Kurosaki?" Kin asked, smiling over at the Squad Five Captain. "Don't you like snow?" As she said this Kin absently swung the blade of her sword as though she were playing with it and the group watching the battle all burst into raucous laughter as a snowball nailed Ichigo in the side of the head.

"Dammit!" Ichigo swore, shaking his head in an attempt to rid himself of the snow that was clinging to his hair.

"Oh that is just great," Shiro exclaimed, smirking at the annoyed expression on his dad's face. "You have GOT to teach me that!"

"NO!" Ichigo exclaimed.

Jumping back a few feet away from her opponent Kin raised her blade and then swung it furiously in an arc in front of her. The white aura that surrounded the blade of her zanpaktou began to glow even more brightly as a cold wind began to circulate around the two combatants and then the battlefield was completely obscured by a raging blizzard.

"Ugh!" Shiro exclaimed in an extremely frustrated tone of voice, straining his eyes for some sign of the two combatants however the battlefield was completely whited out and he couldn't catch so much as a glimpse of them. And just when things were starting to get interesting. "This is so not cool. I can't see a thing."

"And neither can your father," Matsumoto said, not even bothering to look for Kin and Ichigo. She had seen this attack before and knew that it would be impossible to find them until the effects of Kin's attack wore off. "Which is bad for him."

Ichigo strained his eyes in an attempt to find Kin in the swirling mass of white that was obscuring his vision however it proved virtually impossible. "And once again, what is it with these people and cold?" Ichigo muttered to himself as he raised Zangetsu and swung the blade. "Getsuga Tenshou!"

Ichigo's attack cut through the blizzard and he caught a glimpse of Kin during the brief clearing. The Squad Five Captain made a move toward his opponent however he was forced to jump back as a burst of light cut through the blizzard. Ichigo swore as the attack tore through the fabric of his right sleeve; apparently the attack only appeared to be merely light.

"You're going to pay for that!" Ichigo called out, turning in circles as he searched for any sign of the Squad Ten vice-captain.

"Am I?" a voice called out from behind him.

Ichigo turned suddenly and watched as the blizzard dispersed, revealing a rather smug looking Kin Soma. Ichigo jumped back away from her and watched as Kin once again swung the blade of her sword. "Another blizzard?" he asked in a slightly annoyed tone of voice.

"Nope," Kin said, shaking her head.

A chill wind began to blow and a large group of icicles appeared out of nowhere. Kin swung her sword in the direction of the Squad Five Captain and the barrage of icicles flew toward him.

"Oh hell no!" Ichigo exclaimed as he grasped the cloth that was on the hilt of Zangetsu and began to swing the sword around in a circle in front of him. He used the sword to deflect the ice attack and then he held up his sword, a somewhat evil smirk on his face.

"Now she's done it," Rukia said, shaking her head. "I know THAT look."

"Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu!"

All eyes went to Kin, to find out what her reaction to this new development would be, and most of the crowd shook their heads when they saw the wide smile that the young Shinigami held on her face. She was absolutely elated that Ichigo had used Bankai.

"There is something seriously wrong with that girl," someone in the crowd muttered.

"Yea," Shiro said, turning his attention toward the sound of the voice. "She's not a coward like the rest of you people."

"Toushirou!" Rukia said, turning a reproving gaze to her young son.

"What?" Shiro said, gazing up at his mother with an innocent expression in his blue-green eyes. He obviously didn't see the problem with the comment that he'd just made.

"Oh never mind," Rukia said, shaking her head. The boy was simply incorrigible.

"You told me not to go easy on you," Ichigo said with a smirk as he held Zangetsu out in front of him.

"I did," Kin said, offering Ichigo a smile. She raised her glowing white blade and lunged toward her opponent, swinging the blade in the direction of his head. Ichigo laughed as he blocked Kin's blow and then the two of them traded blows for a little while longer however now that Ichigo was using Bankai it wasn't long before he emerged victorious.

"Nice battle," Ichigo said as he walked over to the spot where Kin was lying on the ground and offered her his hand.

"Thanks," Kin said as she accepted his proffered hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet. "And thank you for not going easy on me Captain Kurosaki."

Ichigo nodded as the two of them made their way back to the spot where everyone else was standing.

"Winner Kurosaki!" Head Captain Ukitake called out as Ichigo and Kin rejoined their group in the crowd. "Now we'll take a small break and then the semi-finals will begin."

"That was really awesome Kin," Shiro said as the Squad Ten vice-captain came to stand beside Matsumoto.

"Thanks Shiro-chan," Kin said in a quiet voice, offering the young boy a small smile.

"Hey," Shiro said, his mind suddenly focusing on something that he hadn't thought about until that moment. "Does anyone else think it's strange that Ran-san's zanpaktou is a cat and Kin's is a dog?"

"Wolf, Shiro-chan," Kin corrected, placing her hand on the young boy's white hair. "And yes it is kinda strange."

A/N- And thus ends the second part of the tournament. The next one is the most important in the story line. Hope you enjoyed this latest installment of Shiro-chan's story. Feel free to review and let me know what you thougt. Also I would like to take a moment to wish everyone a happy new year and I hope that 2009 is filled with joy and inspiration. Until next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	26. Insight

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach.

Chapter Twenty-Six- Insight

After a short break during which everyone traveled around and gave one another a hard time about their fights, the winners as well as the losers, Ukitake called the participants forward for the semi-finals. Ichigo and Rukia walked toward the Head Captain, followed a short distance behind by Captain Kyouraku and Nanao, and then Renji and Matsumoto brought up the rear.

Shiro stood in his place in front of Kin and Hinamori, his head tilted slightly to the side.

"What's the matter Shiro-chan?" Kin asked as she gazed down at the boy, a questioning look in her eyes.

"I don't know who I should be cheering for," Shiro said, his gaze focused on the six combatants who would be taking part in the semi-finals. "It's a three way toss up between Ran-san and my parents."

"I have an idea kiddo," Kin said, smiling down at the young boy and running a hand through his unruly white hair. "Why don't you wait to see who is paired up with who? You may not have to chose, at least not until the next round."

Shiro nodded, realizing that the Squad Ten vice-captain had a very valid point. There was a chance that none of the three people he was supporting would fight one another in this round. It wasn't a good chance since the draw was completely random however it was still a chance.

"Alright," Ukitake said as he offered the basket with the new numbers, one through three, to the group of combatants that were assembled in a semi-circle in front of him. "By now everyone should know how this works so if you'll chose a number then we'll get on with the semi-finals."

The combatants all nodded and, one at a time, they drew numbers from the basket that the Head Captain held in his outstretched hand. Then, once everyone had a number and had glanced down at it, Ukitake asked, "So who has number one?"

Matsumoto and Kyouraku both raised a hand at the same time and as they glanced toward one another they couldn't keep the grins from spreading across their faces. The two of them were often together, usually drinking, however they had never sparred.

"This could be interesting," Matsumoto said as the other combatants stepped back, leaving her and the Squad Eight Captain alone in the center of the battleground.

"It could at that," Ukitake said, eyeing the two combatants with a small smile on his face. "So do you guys want to set any specifications for this battle?"

"Can we settle this by seeing who can drink the most sake?" Kyouraku asked, his tone hopeful as he gazed at his best friend.

"No," Ukitake said, shaking his head. "Now do you have any battle related specifications?"

"No," Kyouraku said, obviously disappointed that he wouldn't be able to drink until this tournament was over. The Squad Eight Captain drew his twin blades from the sash of his shihakusho and turned to face Matsumoto, who had also drawn her sword. "When this is over we'll have to go and get a drink."

Matsumoto offered her drinking buddy a charming smile. "Are you sure Nanao will be okay with this?"

Kyouraku smiled and then cast a glance toward his vice-captain. "What do you say Nanao-chan? Will you be jealous if Rangiku-chan and I go out for a drink?"

"Do whatever you want," Nanao snapped, blushing bright red and glaring over at her captain. "And I'm NOT your Nanao-chan!"

"I think it would have been more exciting if the two of them had been paired up," Shiro commented, his gaze shifting back and forth between the two Squad Eight officers.

"That would be something," Ichigo said, shaking his head. "Something boring. Although Nanao might enjoy having the opportunity to fight her captain, I seriously doubt whether Kyouraku would raise his sword against her."

"Aww," Shiro whined, his gaze going back over to the two actual combatants. "Guess I'll just have to be content watching Ran-san fight with him."

"Guess so," Ichigo said, shaking his head once again.

Shiro turned his attention back to the battlefield and he watched intently as Matsumoto blocked a series of intense blows from Kyouraku's dual blades. The two combatants crossed blades again and again, neither able to connect a blow with the other. Then they abruptly jumped back a couple of feet and turned to face one another, swords held up and eyes locked on one another.

Kyouraku smiled as he gazed over at Matsumoto.

Matsumoto returned his smile. "What do you say we take this up a notch Shunsui-san?" This said, Matsumoto held up her sword and said, "Roar Haineko!"

The blade of Matsumoto's zanpaktou disintegrated in a cloud of smoke however Kyouraku twirled his twin blades and caused a tornado to fly toward his opponent, disrupting the ashes that comprised the Shikai of her zanpaktou. Growling in frustration the Squad Ten Captain said, "Bankai!"

Kyouraku gazed over at Matsumoto intently as the huge cat comprised of ash formed at her side however there was a confident look in his eyes as he held up his twin zanpaktou. Matsumoto attacked the Squad Eight Captain in much the same way that she'd attacked Hanari however this attack didn't work quite as well against Kyouraku. He merely swung his zanpaktou and created the whirlwind which, while unable to destroy the Bankai, was none the less able to knock it's attacks off course.

This went on for quite some time and Kyouraku was able to completely overwhelm Matsumoto, who finally held out the hilt of Haineko and recalled the ash cat, which reformed into the zanpaktou's blade. Then she nodded her head in the direction of Captain Kyouraku. "You win."

A broad smile spread across the Squad Eight Captain's face and he walked over to the spot where Matsumoto stood. "That was excellent and I meant what I said about getting that drink when this is over." Then he winked at the Squad Ten Captain. "Just as friends though. No offense but no one can compete with my Nanao-chan."

"I am NOT you're Nanao-chan!"

Both Kyouraku and Matsumoto threw their heads back and laughed at her reaction. A slight blush coloring her face, Nanao glared at them from her spot a few yards away however the expression on her face only caused them to laugh harder as they made their way back to the spot where the others were standing.

"Well that was interesting," Ichigo commented as Kyouraku and Matsumoto each took the spots that they had vacated when they'd taken the field for their battle; Matsumoto coming to stand beside Kin while Kyouraku came to a stop beside Nanao. The Squad Eight Captain casually wrapped an arm around the shoulders of his vice-captain and was rewarded by an elbow to the ribs.

Head Captain Ukitake smiled briefly at the exchange between his best friend and Nanao and then he faced the group once more. "Alright who has number two?"

"That would be me," Ichigo said.

"And me!" Renji exclaimed, emerging from the group and offering Ichigo a cocky grin. "You're going down Kurosaki."

"Yea yea," Ichigo said as he and his former rival walked toward the center of the battleground. "I've heard that one before and I'll believe it when I experience it, which means never."

Renji growled low in his throat however he chose not to respond to Ichigo's taunt. He'd show Ichigo what he was made of and nothing that he said at this point would affect the outcome of the battle so he decided to remain silent and let Zabimaru do the talking..

Kind of shocked that this confrontation hadn't occurred earlier in the tournament Ukitake took his place at the center of the battleground with the two combatants. He gazed at Ichigo and Renji and asked the by now familiar question, "Do either of you have any specifications for this battle?"

Knowing that her husband and her best friend had been rivals for as long as they had known one another Rukia gazed intently over at Ichigo and called out in a commanding voice, "Ichigo's not allowed to do that one thing and he knows what it is!"

Confused by this statement from his mother Shiro turned and gazed up at Rukia. "What's Dad not allowed to do?"

"Don't worry about it Shiro-chan," Rukia said with a smile, ruffling her son's white hair. "It's nothing important."

Shiro could tell that his mother was hiding something from him however he could also tell that she was unlikely to give him the information that he sought With a sigh of resignation the young boy gave up and turned his attention back to the two combatants who were facing one another on the battlefield.

"So," Ukitake said, turning back toward the two captains who were standing in front of him. "We've established the fact that Ichigo's not allowed to do that one thing, which apparently he should be able to identify on his own. Anything else?"

Ichigo and Renji simultaneously shook their heads and Ukitake nodded. "Alright then. Begin."

Head Captain Ukitake made his way back over to the spot where the spectators were assembled while Ichigo and Renji stood in the center of the battlefield and had a staring contest. The two long time rivals glared at one another until Renji broke eye contact. Ichigo smirked at his rival and drew his zanpaktou.

"There's no way I'm going to lose to you this time Kurosaki," Renji said as he pulled his own zanpaktou from it's sheath. "Howl Zabimaru!"

_"He isn't wasting any time," _Ichigo thought to himself as he dodged the furious blows from Renji. Most of the battles thus far had began with swordplay however Renji had chosen to immediately use Shikai. The man wasn't playing around. Ichigo grinned. _"Guess it's only fair since Zangetsu is always in Shikai form."_

Ichigo was jarred from his thoughts by another series of furious blows from Renji and this time he used Zangetsu to block the attacks from Renji's zanpaktou. He offered his opponent a taunting grin. "Is that the best you can do bone-boy?"

Growling low in his throat Renji once again swung his zanpaktou in the direction of Ichigo's head however once again the orange haired captain deflected the blows with ease.

"Same old attack," Ichigo taunted as Renji pulled the links of his sword back together. He shook his head and held up Zangetsu. "I think I know how we can turn this battle up a notch. Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu!" A black aura surrounded Ichigo and when it dissipated he held a normal looking katana in his hand. The only distinguishing characteristic of this sword was the fact that the blade was midnight black.

"I still can't believe that's his Bankai," Shiro muttered, more to himself than to the others.

"I know Shiro," Rukia said, running a hand through her son's snow-white hair once again. Her son had repeatedly asked to see Ichigo's Bankai however when his father had relented and shown it to him Shiro had laughed and told Ichigo that what he'd done couldn't possibly be Bankai. Ichigo was still irritated about that fact.

"So you wanna play it like that huh Ichigo?" Renji asked as he gazed over at Ichigo. "Fine by me." Renji held up his sword and opened his mouth to use his own Bankai however his words were cut short as Ichigo flash-stepped toward him, swinging his sword furiously. Renji was forced to cease his attempts at Bankai as he used his sword to block the furious blows from his opponent. Apparently Ichigo had decided that he wasn't going to give Renji time to use his Bankai.

"What the hell Kurosaki!"

"Come on Renji," Ichigo taunted as he continued to rain down blow after blow. "Use your Bankai."

Renji held up his sword, prepared to use it's second level of spiritual release, however his eyes widened as Ichigo held up Zangetsu and swung the sword furiously. "Getsuga Tenshou!"

Even though he successfully blocked the majority of the attack with the blade of his sword Renji was knocked off his feet by the force of the blow. The Squad Nine Captain fought to get to his feet however he stopped as Ichigo appeared over him, holding the tip of Zangetsu to his throat. Glaring at his opponent but realizing that he had been beaten Renji inclined his head to Ichigo. "You win."

Ichigo's Bankai faded immediately and with a grin he sheathed Zangetsu. Then he offered his hand to Renji and helped his rival to his feet. "Keep practicing Renji. You lasted longer that time."

"One of these days I'm going to beat you," Renji muttered as he and Ichigo made their way back over to the group.

"So you keep saying," Ichigo said.

"Winner Kurosaki," Head Captain Ukitake called out as Ichigo and Renji rejoined the others. "And that leaves Rukia and Nanao as our last combatants for this round. Combatants please step forward."

With a glance toward her husband Rukia stepped forward and together she and Nanao followed the Head Captain out toward the center of the battleground. Once the trio had reached the usual spot Ukitake turned to face the two combatants. "Would you like to set any specifications for this battle?"

Rukia glanced over at Nanao. "What do you say Nanao-san, shall we settle this with kidou?"

After a moment's thought the vice-captain of Squad Eight nodded her head in agreement. Both were masters of kidou and this seemed to be the best way to determine who was the better fighter.

"Very well then," Ukitake said with a nod. "This battle will consist of kidou only. You may begin."

Head Captain Ukitake stepped back out of the way and the two combatants faced one another. The two women stared at each other for a moment, sizing up their opponent, and then Rukia held up her hands and cried out, "Red Flame Cannon!"

A red burst of energy shot from Rukia's palm and flew toward Nanao, who stood calmly facing the attack.

"That seems kind of basic," Shiro commented as he watched Nanao easily deflect the attack from his mother.

Ichigo nodded, his eyes focused intently on the battlefield. "They're sizing each other up. Trust me, this battle will pick up in intensity."

After deflecting the attack from Rukia, Nanao launched one of her own. Her kidou was equally low level and also easily deflected by Rukia. She watched as the attack flew through the air and landed struck the ground several yards away. Nanao couldn't help but be impressed with Rukia's skill; not only had she deflected the attack but she'd also diverted it's path away from the bystanders.

Nanao nodded, a determined expression in her eyes.

"Come on Nanao-chan!" The silence was shattered by the shouts of the Squad Eight Captain and although Nanao didn't look over at him a slight blush colored her cheeks. "You can do it!"

"One of these days. . ." Nanao muttered under her breath. Then her attention shifted back to her opponent and she held out her hands. "Binding Chains of Fate!"

"That's a new one," Shiro exclaimed as he watched the chains burst from the ground and attempt to wrap themselves around his mother, who jumped lithely through the air, shattering the chains with Pale Fire Crash.

From her spot in the air Rukia gazed down at Nanao, whose face held a look that was somewhere between shock and admiration. Obviously Nanao hadn't been expecting for her to counter that particular attack and Rukia knew why. Binding Chains of Fate was an extremely advanced kidou, so advanced that many Shinigami couldn't even do it, and it was incredibly hard to defend against. "Six Bars of Light!"

Nanao adeptly dodged the binding kidou that Rukia launched toward her and held up her hands. "White Lightening."

"Not good," Rukia thought to herself as she watched the attack fly toward her. It was extremely hard to dodge kidou attacks in mid-air due to their speed, which she was sure that Nanao knew. Deciding at the last moment not to even attempt to dodge the attack Rukia allowed the bolt of reiatsu to get within mere inches of her before she used the exact same attack to cancel it out.

Smoke erupted around Rukia and the crowd gasped as she was momentarily surrounded by the huge cloud. Shiro sucked in his breath, straining his eyes for some glimpse of his mother. Hearing the boy's sharp intake of breath Ichigo gazed down at his son and he saw the concerned look in Shiro's blue-green eyes. "Don't worry kiddo, she's fine."

Shiro gazed up at his father and Ichigo offered the boy a comforting smile and placed his hand on Shiro's shoulder.

"Prism Burst!"

There were cries from the crowd as a rainbow of colors suddenly cut their way through the cloud of smoke. Fortunately Ichigo and Shiro had been focused on each other and thus weren't blinded by the effects of Rukia's kidou. Nanao however wasn't quite so lucky and she stumbled backward as the kidou temporarily robbed her of her ability to see."

"Bakudo Number 62, 100 Stepped Rails!" Rukia called out and watched as Nanao was struck by the binding kidou that she couldn't see. Surprisingly, even sightless, Nanao managed to dodge all but the very last bars of the attack, which effectively pinned her to the ground.

"Nanao-chan!"

"Calm down Shunsui," Ukitake said in his calm voice, turning to face his best friend and gesturing toward the battlefield. "She's fine."

As the Head Captain was uttering these words of comfort to his friend Nanao was pulling the bar of energy from her shoulder. She tossed it to the side and gazed over at Rukia, who had landed lightly on the ground a few yards away.

His gaze focused intently on the two combatants Shiro's eyes suddenly widened as his vision flashed to the sight of several angry Shinigami. He knew that they were after him, although how he knew that was beyond him, and he suddenly found himself facing the same attack. He couldn't make out who was aiming the attack at him, the images were blurry, however he could almost swear that he felt the pain.

"Winner Rukia!"

Shiro was jarred from this rather disturbing vision by the voice of Head Captain Ukitake declaring his mother the winner. Shaking his head in an effort to clear his blurry vision Shiro gazed over at his mother and watched as she helped Nanao to her feet. Then the two women rejoined the group.

"Okay," Ukitake said once Nanao and Rukia had joined their ranks once more. "So that leaves us with three combatants which I must admit, with some embarrassment, that I did not think about. So now how do we decide who fights who?"

"I think I can help you out with that little dilemma Jyuu," Kyouraku said as he once again attempted to wrap his arm around Nanao and was once again rewarded with an elbow to the ribs. "I forfeit which leaves Ichigo and Rukia to fight for the title."

Head Captain Ukitake briefly thought about this proposal from his best friend and finally decided that he would allow Kyouraku to forfeit if only for the fact that he would get to watch Ichigo and Rukia go at it. He was sure that the rest of the crowd, Shiro especially, would really appreciate it. "Very well. Captain Kurosaki will fight Vice-Captain Kurosaki in the final round."

"All right!" Shiro exclaimed, his gaze shifting back and forth between his mother and father.

"Try not to sound so excited about it," Ichigo told his son. "I mean, you couldn't possibly want to watch me fight with your mother."

"Oh yes I could," Shiro said with a smirk.

"Shiro-chan," Kin said, her gaze going to the young boy. "Aren't you torn as to who you should be supporting?"

Shiro shook his head. "I'm not picking sides. I just want to watch them fight."

"All right then," Ukitake said. "Shall we begin the final match?"

"That depends," Ichigo said, eyeing his wife warily. "Do I have the option to forfeit?"

"No," both Ukitake and Rukia said at the same time.

"Dammit," Ichigo said as he followed his wife and his superior out to the center of the battleground. "Didn't think so but I thought I'd give it a try."

Ukitake assumed his usual spot and Ichigo and Rukia stood in front of him, facing one another. "So, do you guys want to set any specifications for this battle?"

"Well," Rukia said thoughtfully. "Ichigo still can't do that one thing that he knows he can't do but everything else is fine."

Ukitake nodded and turned his attention to Ichigo. "Is that alright with you Captain Kurosaki?"

"I guess it has to be," Ichigo said with a shrug. "You heard the boss."

Chuckling softly to himself Ukitake nodded and then stepped away from the battlefield. "You may begin," he called out once he was a safe distance away.

"Hey Grandpa Ukitake," Shiro said, thinking that it was strange that the Head Captain had started the battle from a distance this time when every other time he'd stepped away after the fight had began. "Why did you come back over here before you said they could start?"

Ukitake opened his mouth to respond to the boy's question however it became unnecessary as the ground underneath Ichigo's feet suddenly exploded as Rukia unleashed Pale Fire Crash.

"Never mind," Shiro said, focusing his gaze back on the battlefield. "And I still want to know what the one thing he's not allowed to do is."

Ukitake pointedly chose to ignore that last comment.

"Dammit!" Ichigo swore from his spot a few feet away. He'd managed to dodge her attack however it had been close and his clothes were covered in dust as a result. "I should have said that you couldn't use kidou."

"You should have," Rukia said in a taunting voice. "But you didn't."

"This has been a long time coming," Kin said as she watched Rukia firing Red Flame Cannon at Ichigo repeatedly. "I think Rukia's getting some revenge for all of that paperwork that she had to do because Ichigo wouldn't."

"Hmm," Ukitake said as he watched Ichigo drawing his sword. "Hadn't thought of that but you might be on to something."

His intense gaze focused on Rukia Ichigo pulled Zangetsu from his back and held the sword out in front of him. Rukia offered him a smile that would have been charming under any other circumstances as she drew her own sword and pointed it in his direction.

"Getsuga Tenshou!"

Using her flash-step Rukia dodged the attack from Ichigo, which she had anticipated, and raised her sword. "Dance, Sode no Shiraiyuki!"

"Wow," Shiro said, gazing over at his mother with a shocked expression on his face It was in this moment that he realized for the first time that he'd never actually seen his mother release her zanpaktou. In fact she usually fought with kidou.

"First Dance White Moon!"

"Oh no you don't," Ichigo exclaimed as he jumped out of the way of the attack. Then he raised his own sword and called out, "Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu!"

Ichigo's sword transformed into it's Bankai form, which greatly increased the Squad Five Captain's speed. He dashed toward Rukia, swinging Zangetsu furiously. Rukia blocked the blows from her husband's zanpaktou and then jumped back a couple of feet. "Well, if you want to play it like that. Bankai!"

Shiro watched, his blue-green eyes opened wide, as a tremendous white aura surround his mother. Then something erupted from the tip of Sode no Shiraiyuki and a huge bird-like creature formed over Rukia's head. _"It looks like a phoenix," _Shiro thought to himself. _"Except that it's white. . ." _The young boy's voice trailed off as he was assaulted with yet another vision, this one stronger and more vivid than the ones he'd experienced up until this point. He saw his mother standing on the battlefield, a few yards away, and he saw her unleash this very same attack. But that was impossible because he'd never even seen his mother release her zanpaktou. There was absolutely no way he could have seen her Bankai, in fact he hadn't even known that she could do Bankai.

Eyes glazed over, Shiro clutched the sides of his head with his hands and sank to his knees.

"Shiro-chan!"

The sound of Kin calling out to the young boy got the attention of everyone who was standing beside Shiro and they all gazed down at the child who was now curled into a tight ball on the ground. Ukitake dropped to his knees beside Shiro and gently shook the child. "Toushirou!"

The Head Captain's words did nothing to snap the boy out of the trance that he appeared to be trapped in and Ukitake jumped to his feet and yelled, "Ichigo! Rukia!"

The two combatants immediately ceased their battle and their eyes shifted over to the spot where the crowd was assembled to watch the fight. Rukia gasped in horror as her gaze fell upon her son, who lay curled up on the ground, his hands clutching the sides of his head as though he were in a tremendous amount of pain. "Shiro!"

Rukia immediately flash-stepped over to the spot where her son lay, followed closely behind by Ichigo. When the two parents arrived at the spot where their son lay they both immediately dropped to their knees at Shiro's side. "Shiro-chan," Rukia called out in a soft voice. "Can you hear me kiddo?"

A few moments passed and then Shiro loosened his hold on his head and slowly opened his eyes. The child slowly raised his gaze to his mother and their was confusion evident in his eyes. "Mom. . . your Bankai, I've seen it before."

Unsure of what to tell him Rukia chose to say nothing. What she did instead was to pull her son into her arms and hold him. She ran a hand through his snow white hair and rubbed his back in a soothing manner. Rukia knew that her child was suffering and she was desperate to do something however she knew that there was nothing that she could do.

"I think we should take Shiro to Squad Four," a kind voice said from above the small family.

Rukia gazed up and she saw the kind face of Captain Unohana. There was concern in the eyes of the Squad Four Captain and Rukia nodded her head in agreement. She gently scooped Shiro up into her arms and then got to her feet. Ichigo stood along with his family and he wrapped his arm protectively around Rukia's shoulders.

"Mom I don't need. . ."

"We're going Shiro," Ichigo said, knowing that his son was going to say that he didn't need to go to the infirmary.

This effectively ended Shiro's arguments, as well as the tournament itself, and together the Kurosaki family, along with Ukitake, Unohana and Isane left the training grounds and made their way across the Seireitei to the Squad Four barracks. As was typical with this level of vision Shiro soon lost consciousness and, leaving him in the care of Isane, the others made their way to Captain Unohana's office.

"Things are getting worse with him," Rukia said as soon as the door of the office had been closed. "I don't know how much longer he can handle this."

"I know how you feel Rukia," Unohana said in her calm voice. "But telling Toushirou what the visions really are could cause more damage to the child than merely allowing him to have them."

"But he thinks he's going crazy," Ichigo said, his intense gaze focused on Unohana.

"And telling him the truth could cause him to actually go crazy," Unohana said in a firm voice that was completely out of character for her. "My assessment of the situation has not changed. I still think that this needs to remain a secret from the child."

Ichigo and Rukia shifted their gazes to Ukitake and they saw that the Head Captain held a sad but determined look in his eyes and they could tell from his expression that he was going to side with Unohana. Unshed tears appeared in Rukia's eyes and Ichigo wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. "Come on Rukia, let's go."

A/N- The end of the tournament and we didn't even get to see who won. I took a few liberties with this chapter, Rukia's Bankai among them, however since this story is AU I figured that would be okay. Hope you enjoyed this latest installment of Shiro's story. Feel free to review and let me know what you thought. (You know if you people would just review then I wouldn't have to keep writing this) Please. Until the next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	27. An Adventure in Soul Society

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach, not even the kind designed to keep your whites, white

A/N- For those of you who wanted Shiro to fight in the tournament you should really like this chapter

Chapter Twenty-Seven- An Adventure in Soul Society

It was mid-morning when Shiro and Kasumi made their way outside to the fenced in backyard of the Kurosaki residence. Kasumi was spending the weekend with her best friend and his family, while her parents were out of town, and the two kids were spending a lot of time outside, mainly because Ichigo didn't seem to bother them as much that way. In fact it had been Shiro's dad who had driven them outside this time as well. They'd started out in Shiro's room, sitting on his bed and playing with Kemuri, however they'd decided to go somewhere else when Ichigo had popped his head into the room and asked, with an obnoxious grin on his face, "Are you two love birds having fun?"

"I swear I think he's starting to channel my Grandpa Isshin," Shiro grumbled as he and Kasumi walked across the yard toward a swing that was positioned under a large shade tree, followed closely behind by Shiro's white cat. "I thought he was supposed to be the goofy one in the family."

"Your dad only does stuff like that because you react to it Shiro-chan," Kasumi said as she and her friend sat down on the swing. Kemuri immediately jumped into her lap and settled there, purring contentedly. "If you'd just ignore him when he says stuff like that instead of getting mad and shouting then eventually he'd stop. It's no fun to pick on someone who doesn't care."

"I know that," Shiro conceded, massaging his temples with the tips of his fingers and attempting to rid himself of the ache that he felt coming on. "And I can employ that technique with everyone else but with my dad. . . I don't know, with him it's different."

"I think the two of you just like to fight," Kasumi said as she rubbed the cat behind the ears.

Without warning Shiro's mind flashed to a scene where he and his father were facing one another, their blades crossed. Ichigo wore a shocked expression on his face, as though he couldn't believe what was happening. Realizing that this had to be another one of his strange visions Shiro shook his head in an attempt to rid himself of the sight.

"Are you okay Shiro-chan?" Kasumi asked, having known that something was not quite right about her friend when he hadn't immediately denied her claim.

"Yea," Shiro muttered, giving his head one final shake and rubbing his eyes with the sides of his hands. "I'm okay. And I DO NOT enjoy fighting with him."

"Sure you don't," Kasumi said with a grin, all the while thinking to herself that his reply was a major delayed reaction.

"So do we have any plans for today?" Shiro asked his friend in an attempt to change the subject.

Kasumi shrugged as she continued stroking Kemuri's silky fur. She could give her best friend a hard time about his rapid change of subject however she opted not to. "Not that I know of. And it's not like making plans with you ever works out anyway Shiro-chan. Inevitably something always comes up."

And as if on cue the two kids watched as the back door opened and Rukia stepped outside.

"I wonder what she's doing," Shiro muttered as his mother walked across the yard toward the spot where he and Kasumi were sitting.

"No clue," Kasumi said, just as confused as he was.

"Sorry to interrupt Shiro-chan," Rukia said as she came to a stop in front of her son and his friend. "But I need for you and Kasumi to come inside." This said Rukia turned on her heel and began to make her way back toward the house and, after casting bewildered looks to one another, Shiro and Kasumi got to their feet and followed her.

_"Strange," _Shiro thought to himself as he and Kasumi followed his mother into the living room, where they found Ichigo waiting for them, in soul form.

"So what are we going to do?" Ichigo asked his wife as she and the kids entered the room.

"I guess we'll just have to take them with us," Rukia replied as she pulled her Gikongan from her pocket and used it to assume her Shinigami form. "I don't see that we really have any other choice. All of your officers are out on patrol and Orihime and Uryu are out of town."

"And Dad's at that medical convention in Tokyo," Ichigo said, a frown forming on his face. "You're right, that doesn't leave us with a whole lot of options. But you know I'm not entirely sure that Uryu would approve of us exposing his daughter to that." As Ichigo spoke a mental image of Uryu appeared in his mind's eye and even the imagined version of the Quincy was wearing a scowl. No, he definately wouldn't approve.

"Well," Rukia said, drawing out the word and holding a thoughtful expression on her face. "It's either that or we leave them here by themselves while we meet with Head Captain Ukitake."

"Oh hell no!" Ichigo exclaimed, his wide-eyed gaze going back and forth between the two kids. A mental image of his house in ruins flashed before his eyes and he actually shuddered at the thought. "She'll just have to be exposed to it. Let's go."

"I take it that we're going to Soul Society," Shiro said, ignoring the look of horror that was plastered on his dad's face. "So what's the occasion this time?"

"Head Captain Ukitake wants to speak to your dad and I about the new transfers into Squad Five," Rukia told her son.

Shiro nodded and then turned to his best friend. "Come on Kasumi. We're going to Soul Society."

"We're going to regret doing this," Ichigo muttered as he and Rukia led the way down the stairs toward the Senkaimon, followed a short distance behind by the two kids. When the small group arrived in Soul Society Rukia turned to face Shiro and Kasumi. "Ichigo and I have to go speak to Head Captain Ukitake so why don't the two of you go to Squad Ten and see what Rangiku's up to?"

"Alright," Shiro said, offering his mother a small smile. "Come on Kasumi. You'll like Ran-san, she's fun."

With that Shiro and Kasumi turned and walked away, the young boy in the lead, followed a short distance back by Kasumi.

"This is a mistake," Ichigo mumbled to himself as he watched the two kids walk away. He could see a number of disasters unfolding in his mind's eye.

"It'll be fine," Rukia said. "I mean seriously, how much trouble can they possibly get into just going to Squad Ten?"

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "You do remember who the Captain of Squad Ten is right Rukia?"

"They'll be fine," Rukia said, grabbing her husband by the hand and pulling him in the direction of the Squad One barracks.

Ichigo shrugged. "If you say so."

* * *

"So what did your mother mean when she said they had to talk to the Head Captain about Squad Five transfers?" Kasumi asked her best friend as the two of them walked across the Seireitei. "Why would there be transfers?"

"Oh Squad Five gets transfers all the time," Shiro stated in a matter of fact tone. "Old members leave, new people take their places."

"Really?"

Shiro nodded. "Unlike all the other squads, membership in Squad Five is strictly voluntary since they're permanently stationed in the world of the living. If you want out all you have to do is ask. Only a few of the officers have been in the squad for any real length of time. Kaiya. . . Tomori. . . a handful of others."

"But I thought Tomori hated Squad Five?" Kasumi said, a perplexed expression on her face. "If membership in Squad Five really is voluntary then why is he still hanging around?"

"I ask myself that every day," Shiro said, shaking his head. "The man complains constantly about how much he hates being in Squad Five and yet there must be something. . . some perk that's keeping him there."

"Weird," Kasumi said.

"Hmmm," Shiro said with a shrug. He had no desire to think about Tomori, whom he heartily disliked, and he dismissed the man from his thoughts. The two kids had arrived at the Squad Ten barracks by this time and Shiro reached out and grasped the door handle, sliding the door open.

"Don't you think you should knock Shiro-chan?" Kasumi asked as they stepped inside the building.

"Nope," Shiro said as he led the way down the hall toward the office.

Kasumi shrugged and followed her friend without another word. At times like this she didn't argue with him but chose instead to just go with it. There was less arguing that way.

When they reached the captain's office Shiro knocked lightly on the door, to announce his arrival, before he slid the door open. "Ran-san," he called out softly as he and Kasumi stepped inside the office. "Are you here?"

There was no reply and as Shiro's gaze swept the room he realized that it was empty. "Hmm," the young boy said thoughtfully as he turned back to his best friend. "I wonder where she could be."

Kasumi shrugged. "So now what are we supposed to do?"

"I don't have a clue," Shiro said as he led the way back out into the hallway, closing the door behind them once Kasumi had joined him outside. "Mom didn't say anything about what we should do if Ran-san wasn't here but I suppose there's no use hanging around an empty office. Come on."

Kasumi sighed and followed her friend down the hallway and back out into the bright sunshine.

"I have an idea," Shiro said suddenly, his eyes lighting up. "I have a place that I'd really like to show you. Come on Kasumi."

The young girl hesitated, unsure about what she should do. On the one hand Shiro seemed really excited about this place that he wanted to show her and she loved seeing that side of him but on the other hand she didn't know if they'd get in trouble for it.

"Oh come on," Shiro coaxed. "They didn't say that we couldn't go exploring and we did go to Squad Ten. It's not our fault that Ran-san wasn't there."

Kasumi hesitated a moment longer, debating his words, and then she nodded. "Alright Shiro-chan, let's go."

Shiro offered his friend a smile and then began walking away from the Squad Ten barracks. Kasumi fell into step beside him and together the two kids made their way across the Seireitei. Shiro led the way out of the Seireitei and then he took Kasumi to a place that he hadn't shared with many others, his special place in District One.

"Oh Shiro-chan," Kasumi gasped as they stepped through a grove of bushes and her gaze fell upon a beautiful river, gently flowing through a grove of cherry trees. "This place is. . ." Words seemed to fail her as she attempted to describe the beauty of the scene that lay before her and Shiro merely smiled at her reaction.

"How did you find this place?" she asked as she and Shiro settled down under one of the larger cherry trees that was situated near the bank of the river. "It's beautiful."

Shiro could vividly remember finding this place when he'd been a small child and he opened his mouth to tell Kasumi the story however something else flashed through his mind. He saw the river and he saw. . . he saw Hinamori, a younger Hinamori, standing on the bank of the river. She was holding out her hand to him. _"What the. . . That didn't happen. . . did it?"_

"Shiro-chan," Kasumi said softly, her gaze focused on her best friend.

"Sorry about that," Shiro said quietly as he fought off the vision. "I found this place when I was little, during a game of hide and seek."

"Do you come here often?" Kasumi asked.

"Every now and then," Shiro replied, slightly preoccupied by the vision of Hinamori. _"What does it mean?" _the boy thought to himself. The two children sat in silence for a little while and then Shiro turned back to face his best friend. "Kasumi. . ."

"What is it Shiro-chan?" Kasumi picked up on the change in his tone of voice and she gazed into her friend's blue-green eyes.

"Do you believe in reincarnation?"

"Huh?' That was the last question that Kasumi had been expecting and she stared at Shiro. She couldn't tell him how close to the truth he really was, even though it was what she wanted more than anything. Once again she would have to lie to her best friend. "I don't know. Why do you ask?"

"These visions," Shiro said quietly. "They're just like memories except that they're not things I've ever done. I just thought that. . . maybe. . ."

"Have you tried talking to your parents about this?" Kasumi asked the young boy, thinking that perhaps Ichigo and Rukia would tell him the truth about Captain Hitsugaya if he mentioned reincarnation to them. "Or maybe one of your Shinigami friends?"

Shiro shook his head. "I don't want to talk to them about it. I can't stand the look that they get in their eyes whenever I bring up the subject of the visions."

"Shiro-chan. . ."

Shiro averted his gaze, not mentioning the second reason why he didn't want to talk to his parents about his theory of reincarnation. His mind flashed to a vision of himself facing his dad, their swords crossed.

* * *

"So," Ichigo said as he and Rukia stepped out of the Squad One barracks. "Half of our squad's been replaced again which means that I'm once again going to have to hear yes sir captain and all that crap."

Rukia rolled her eyes as she listened to her husband's complaints. It wasn't anything unusual, after all they went through this every time their squad received new members. "And only you would have a problem with respect from your subordinates Captain."

"Don't start that," Ichigo said, pointing his index finger at his wife in warning.

Rukia sighed and shook her head. "Come on. Let's pick up the kids and head back to the world of the living. We, and by we of course I mean I, have paperwork to complete."

Ichigo nodded, completely ignoring the paperwork comment.

So together husband and wife made their way across the Seireitei, to the Squad Ten barracks, however when they arrived it was to find the place virtually deserted.

"Oh no," Ichigo groaned. "What do you suppose happened here?"

"I don't know," Rukia said, shaking her head as she surveyed the empty office. "And to be completely honest with you I'm more concerned with finding out where my son and his friend are."

"Yay," Ichigo said, a slight hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Hide and seek."

* * *

"Come on Kasumi," Shiro said to his friend abruptly, after about half an hour of silence during which the two children had been lost in their own thoughts. "Let's go see if anyone's hanging around at the training grounds. That's always fun to watch." The young boy jumped to his feet and offered Kasumi his hand, which she accepted, allowing Shiro to pull her to her feet.

"You seem like you're having fun," Kasumi commented as the two kids made their way back to the Seireitei. His mood had changed once again and he seemed happier than he had earlier. Kasumi was glad for this as she hated to see him suffer.

"Kinda," Shiro admitted.

Kasumi smiled softly.

"Oh come on," Shiro said, turning to face his friend as the two of them made their way back toward the Seireitei. "Is the fact that I'm having fun really all that surprising?"

Up until about a year and a half ago Kasumi would have answered that question with a no without hesitation but ever since her best friend had began experiencing flashes of memory from his former life her friend hadn't really had much to smile about. She couldn't tell him this fact however so she merely shrugged.

"You're so weird," Shiro muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Like you have any room to talk," Kasumi retorted, effectively silencing her friend with that comment.

* * *

"Do you even know where you're going?" Ichigo asked his wife as Rukia led the way through District One of the Rukongai. It seemed to him that the two of them had been traveling for a long time without a set destination and he was curious as to whether or not she actually knew where she was going.

"Of course I know where I'm going," Rukia snapped, pausing long enough to glare at her husband.

"Okay, okay," Ichigo said, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. "I was just asking, you don't have to get so pissy about it."

_"One of these days," _Rukia thought to herself as her hand absently went to the hilt of her zanpaktou. _"I'm going to show him the true meaning of pissy and I can guarantee that he won't like it one bit."_

_"Uh oh," _Ichigo thought to himself, noticing how her hand lingered on the hilt of her sword. _"I should probably shut up now or things could get ugly."_

When they arrived at their destination the two Shinigami pushed their way through the bushes and stepped into the clearing. Rukia quickly surveyed the scene and her face fell. "Damn. I thought for sure that we'd find them here."

"Don't worry about it Rukia," Ichigo said, seeking to make amends for his earlier comments. "Your son has never been the predictable type. We'll find them."

Rukia nodded. Her husband did have a point, although she'd never admit that fact to him. "Well come on. If he and Kasumi aren't here then they must be somewhere in the Seireitei. I think. I hope."

Ichigo nodded and together he and Rukia left the secluded spot by the river.

* * *

"Is that the best you can do?" Shiro heard Matsumoto call out in a taunting voice as he and Kasumi approached the training grounds.

"That's not fair Captain," Kin called out as Matsumoto launched yet another ferocious attack.

"And who said we were going to play fair?" Matsumoto asked with a smirk.

"That seems kinda mean," Kasumi commented in a quiet voice as she and Shiro made their way toward the training grounds, where it seemed most of Squad Ten had gathered to watch a sparring match between their Captain and vice-captain.

Shiro nodded as he pulled his zanpaktou from the sheath that he wore secured across his back. He couldn't see the combatants due to the crowd that surrounded them but he could envision the smirk that Matsumoto was more than likely wearing, having seen it himself on more than one occasion. "That's okay though," the boy said as he pointed the tip of Hyourinmaru toward the clear blue sky. "This should wipe the grin off her face." Raising his voice so that it would easily carry over to the group assembled a few yards away Shiro called out, "Reign over the frosted, frozen sky, Hyourinmaru!"

Matsumoto's eyes widened in surprise and she almost dropped her zanpaktou as she watched the familiar, icy blue dragon soar toward her. And that voice. . . it had sounded just like. . .

"Um Captain," Kin called out, not liking the scene that was unfolding before her eyes. Her gaze shifted wildly back and forth between the ice dragon and her captain, who seemed transfixed by the sight. "Don't you think you should maybe, oh I don't know, block or something!"

"Right," Matsumoto said, quickly raising her sword and using it to deflect the attack. The move came without a second to spare and several members of Squad Ten were forced to scatter in all directions as the dragon collided with the ground and exploded in a spray of ice.

"Nice," Shiro commented as the crowd parted and allowed him and Kasumi to walk toward the spot where Matsumoto and her vice-captain stood. There were murmurs among the members of Squad Ten, those who'd been around during Hitsugaya's time as captain, as Shiro walked toward Matsumoto. All the kid needed was the white haori with the number ten on the back and it would be virtually impossible to tell the difference between him and his deceased counterpart. It really was eerie.

"Toushirou!" Matsumoto snapped as she forced herself to remember that the boy walking toward her was Shiro, Ichigo and Rukia's son, and not her Captain. "That wasn't very nice."

"Really?" Shiro asked, his blue-green eyes wide and innocent looking. "I heard you talking to Kin and I was under the impression that you wanted more of a challenge. I was just trying to help."

"Cut the innocent routine Toushirou," Matsumoto ordered, although she was unable to hide the smile that appeared on her face. "It doesn't suit you."

Kasumi laughed, causing Matsumoto's gaze to shift to the young girl who stood behind Shiro. "Ooh," the Squad Ten Captain exclaimed. "Who's your little friend Shiro-chan?"

"This is Kasumi," Shiro replied, pulling his best friend forward. "And Kasumi this is Ran-san. She's the Captain of Squad Ten."

"Pleased to meet you ma'am," Kasumi said, offering Matsumoto a smile.

"None of that now," Matsumoto said. "Makes me sound old. My name's Rangiku."

"Alright," Kasumi said with another smile.

"Your little girlfriend's cute Shiro-chan," Matsumoto told the young boy, a mischievous expression in her blue eyes.

"She's NOT my girlfriend!" Shiro exclaimed, focusing his narrow-eyed gazed on Matsumoto. "We're just friends okay?"

"Ah," Matsumoto said, not really paying attention to the boy's words at this point. "Now that look takes me back."

Kin smiled, knowing exactly what her Captain was referring to. She'd joined Squad Ten mere months before the final battle of the Winter War and as a result hadn't had very much interaction with the young captain before his untimely death however even she'd seen Captain Hitsugaya give Matsumoto that look about a hundred times. "Are you having flashbacks Captain?"

"You know," Matsumoto said. "I think I might be."

Kasumi turned to Shiro, a confused expression on her face. "What are they talking about Shiro-chan?"

Shiro shrugged, no more aware of what was going on than she was. "I haven't a clue. They're both weird."

"Well that wasn't very nice Shiro-chan," Kin said, placing her hands on her hips as she gazed over at the young boy.

Shiro arched a brow and gazed over at the Squad Ten vice-captain, causing Kin to shake her head. "Oh yea, I forgot who I was talking about there for a minute."

"Now who's being mean," Shiro muttered.

"Toushirou!"

_"That sounds promising," _Shiro thought to himself as he slowly turned around and saw his parents walking toward them.

"Where have you two been?" Ichigo asked as he and Rukia came to a stop in front of Shiro and Kasumi.

"Here and there," Shiro said with a shrug of his shoulders. "And before you say anything about not obeying orders Dad I just want you to know that Kasumi and I went to the Squad Ten barracks first, before we did anything else, and no one was there. After that I decided to take her sight seeing. Then, we ended up here. And for some strange reason I feel the need to add that nothing bad happened."

"Shiro-chan," Matsumoto whispered, leaning toward the boy ever so slightly as though that would hide from the others what she had to say. "Don't ever deny a crime that you haven't been accused of yet. It makes you look guilty and you don't need any help with that."

"You stay out of this," Ichigo said, narrowing his eyes and pointing his index finger at the Squad Ten Captain. "I knew, years ago, that we shouldn't expose him to you. You really are a bad influence."

"I am not," Matsumoto snapped, shaking her head.

"Uh huh," Ichigo said, turning back to his son. "Well I guess I can't be mad at you if you went to Squad Ten. It's not your fault that she wasn't there."

"All right!" Shiro exclaimed. He really liked it when things ended this way since it didn't happen all that often and he felt the need to celebrate.

"So what exactly are you guys up to?" Rukia asked, noticing the look that Ichigo was giving their son and deciding that a change of topic would probably be a good idea at this point.

"He came to pick on me," Matsumoto spoke up before Shiro had the chance to answer his mom's question. "We were training and he used his Shikai to. . ."

"You're leaving out the part about you being mean to your vice-captain," Shiro interrupted with a smirk. Then he turned to his mother. "She was complaining about Kin not being a good enough opponent. I just thought I'd make the fight a little more challenging for her."

"Now Toushirou," Rukia said, fighting to keep the smile off of her face. It was hard but she managed. "You shouldn't do things like that."

"Maybe I shouldn't," Shiro said in typical little boy fashion. "But I just can't seem to help myself. And she was asking for it."

"Hey now," Matsumoto exclaimed, pointing her finger at the boy in warning. "Watch yourself or. . ."

Shiro held up his zanpaktou and arched a brow. "Or what Ran-san?"

"Ichigo," Rukia said, her gaze shifting back and forth between her son and her husband. "Should we. . ."

Ichigo shook his head, enjoying the look that Matsumoto had on her face. "Nah. Let them fight. It could be really entertaining."

"Ichigo!" Matsumoto exclaimed, whirling around and giving the Squad Five Captain an incredulous look.

"Oh come on Rangiku," Ichigo said with a smirk, enjoying himself for the first time since their arrival in Soul Society. "Don't tell me that you're scared of a nine year old boy."

Matsumoto groaned, thinking to herself that it shouldn't count when the nine year old boy possessed the reincarnated soul, as well as the powers, of a captain class Shinigami and wielded a four foot long zanpaktou, however she didn't say this out loud. Instead she held up her own sword and faced the boy. "Fine. If you're determined to fight let's just get this over with."

Shiro grinned as he held up Hyourinmaru.

Kasumi stared at her friend in disbelief as the boy lunged toward the Squad Ten Captain, swinging his sword furiously. She couldn't believe that Shiro was actually fighting against a captain and what was more, she couldn't believe how good he was. True, she'd seen him fight countless times, but it had always been against Hollow, or more rarely, against Arrancar. She realized that Shiro was slightly cocky but his skills truly were amazing and apparently his confidence in his skills was not unfounded.

_"Wow," _Matsumoto thought to herself as she struggled to block the furious blows from the kid. Shiro wasn't pulling any punches in this match and it was almost all she could do to block his attacks. "Well this simply won't do. Roar Haineko!"

Shiro watched as the blade of Matsumoto's zanpaktou disintegrated into a cloud of ash however he used the reiatsu of his own sword to freeze the tiny droplets of water that were in the air around the ashes. Matsumoto narrowed her eyes as she held up the hilt of her sword, summoning it back. The ashes burst from their icy prison and reformed into the blade of Matsumoto's zanpaktou.

Matsumoto took a small break, during which she sized up her opponent and searched for a weak point in his defenses, and then she lunged toward the young boy. The Squad Ten Captain swung her sword furiously and she managed to knock Shiro off balance. "Hah!" she exclaimed.

Shiro did a back flip in mid-air and landed lightly on the ground, a few yards away. The young boy straightened up and eyed Matsumoto, a slightly impressed look in his blue-green eyes. Raising his sword Shiro swung the blade in an upward arc, sending a barrage of ice toward Matsumoto.

"You know," Kin said, tearing her gaze away from the battle and turning to face Ichigo and Rukia. "If this keeps up we could have a new Captain of Squad Ten in a few minutes."

"Hey," Matsumoto said, overhearing their conversation. She hadn't even thought about the possibility and yet. . . "That's. . ."

"I quit," Shiro said abruptly, sheathing his sword and walking away.

"Wait," Matsumoto called out after the boy. "Surely that's not all you have."

"It is," Shiro said simply, returning to his spot beside Kasumi.

"That's not fair," Matsumoto whined, pouting slightly.

"Captain," Kin said, her gaze focused squarely on her superior. "If I didn't know better I'd think you wanted Shiro-chan to beat you."

Matsumoto didn't reply to her subordinate's comment although she looked slightly devastated as she walked back over to the group, sheathing her sword as she walked.

"Well guys," Rukia said to the two kids. "I guess we should probably head for home."

"Okay," the two kids said in unison. "Bye Ran-san," Shiro called out over his shoulder as they walked away.

"Bye," Matsumoto called out.

"Captain Matsumoto," Kin said, coming to stand beside her superior officer and gazing up into the older woman's face. "You didn't really want the kid to beat you, did you?"

Matsumoto shrugged, a faraway expression in her eyes, and said in a soft voice, "He'd make a great captain." Then her mood abruptly lightened and she smiled and whirled to face her vice-captain. "And if he were in charge then I wouldn't have to do so much paperwork."

Kin shook her head and thought to herself, _"Some things will never change."_

A/N- And thus ends yet another installment of Shiro's story. I can't believe that it's gone on for this long since this story started out as a one-shot. I wrote the first chapter because it was stuck in my head and then my best friend read it and told me that I had to finish it. And so the story continues. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to read and review. Thanx to everyone who has reviewed thus far and as always, til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	28. The Powers of Heikichi

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach

Chapter Twenty-Eight- The Powers of Heikichi

Heikichi Yamino was making his way toward school, in a bit of a hurry because he was running slightly behind schedule, however all thoughts of being late to class vanished as he felt a strange and yet eerily familiar energy. Gazing around the young boy searched for the source of the energy and his eyes widened as his gaze fell upon a large Hollow. The beast was standing only a few yards away and was eyeing the young boy with a hungry look in it's eyes.

"Not good," the young boy muttered to himself as he eyed the approaching Hollow in apprehension. Heikichi's gaze sifted around wildly as he searched desperately for some signs of a Shinigami, unfortunately he found that he was completely alone with the beast.

"I can't believe this," Heikichi moaned as the Hollow roared and ran toward him. He'd really been hoping for a Shinigami to show up and kill the Hollow. Even though he'd fought against the beasts before victory was far from a certainty however there were no signs of any approaching Shinigami and the young boy sighed and resigned himself to his fate. There was nothing for it; he'd have to use his barely controllable powers and hope that they were enough to save him. _"Okay. I really hope this doesn't backfire on me this time."_

Heikichi muttered a small prayer to himself that his powers would work this time around and then he held out his hands.

* * *

Shiro was on his way toward school, running late but completely unconcerned by this fact, when he suddenly felt the combined reiatsu of his classmate Heikichi and a Hollow. Now this was far from a rare occurrence; Heikichi was more of a Hollow magnet than Shiro himself, which was saying something. _"What's he gotten himself into this time?"_

With a sigh Shiro pulled his Gikongan from his pocket and used the green pill to assume his Shinigami form. All thoughts of class had been replaced by the image of Heikichi in trouble and the boy quickly used his flash-step and vanished.

* * *

"Kurosaki!" Heikichi's eyes actually lit up as his gaze fell upon his young classmate in Shinigami form.

"What is your problem?" Shiro asked as he drew Hyourinmaru and quickly made short work of the Hollow that had been targeting his classmate. One pass of the ice dragon was enough to completely obliterate the beast that had been after Heikichi. "Can't even walk down the street without being attacked by something."

Heikichi heaved a sigh of relief as he watched the Hollow disintegrate. Then the boy sank to the ground, fighting hard to get his rapid breathing under control, and placed a hand on his chest over his rapidly beating heart. "I thought I was a goner that time."

Shiro gazed down at his bruised and burned classmate, one eyebrow raised. "Why didn't you fight back?"

"I tried," Heikichi moaned as he wiped a couple of drops of blood from the side of his face.

"So what happened?" Shiro asked. "You look like you caught on fire."

Heikichi rolled his eyes in the direction of his friend. "In case you've forgotten I have limited, and by limited I mean absolutely no, control over my powers. The singed look was caused by my own attack, not the Hollow's."

It was Shiro's turn to roll his eyes. "We have GOT to do something about that particular deficiency."

At that moment the alarm on Heikichi's watch began to sound, which caused the boy to stare down at his arm, a horrified expression instantly appearing on his face. "We're late for class!"

Completely unconcerned by this statement Shiro shrugged his shoulders. "Oh well, won't be the first time."

"It will be for me," Heikichi said, seemingly appalled by the very thought.

"You are such a nerd," Shiro said as he turned and led the way back to the spot where he'd left his physical body.

"And you're a delinquent," Heikichi said as he watched his classmate return to his physical body.

"Yea," Shiro said, not even bothering to deny the accusation from his classmate. "And this delinquent saved your butt so you really should be a little nicer."

"Ugh," Heikichi groaned as his thoughts flashed back to the Hollow that he'd just battled, with disastrous results. "I can't believe this. I have powers and I still end up getting my butt kicked on a regular basis."

"Actually, in your defense, you kicked your own butt." Shiro paused at this point and then he pointed his index finger at Heikichi and laughed. "I was wrong. That makes it worse. You're all beat up and the Hollow never even touched you."

Heikichi groaned yet again, shaking his head in frustration.

"Tell you what," Shiro said as he and Heikichi made their way toward school. "I'll help you train after school if you want. Maybe if you had someone to help you then you'd be able to master your powers, at least to some extent."

"Really?" Heikichi exclaimed, stopping dead in his tracks and whirling around to face his friend. "Are you serious Kurosaki?"

"I'm serious," Shiro said, eyeing the older boy warily. "But I swear if you hug me the deal's off."

Heikichi made a face and took a few steps away from Shiro. "I wasn't going to hug you."

"I'm just saying," Shiro said. "Now come on. Every minute that we spend hanging around here is a minute that you're not in class. You have to be careful about things like that or else you could become a delinquent like me and we simply can't have that."

"You know I didn't mean anything by that delinquent comment Kurosaki," Heikichi said as the two boys resumed walking.

"Uh huh," Shiro said.

* * *

Shiro and Heikichi spent a very boring day in class and then, when the dismissal bell finally rang, the two boys met Kasumi under the shade tree out in the courtyard as usual. "Hey," Kasumi called out brightly as Shiro and Heikichi walked across the courtyard toward the spot where she was standing. "So how was class?"

"Mind numbingly boring," Shiro muttered under his breath. "I knew that I didn't want to be there. Should have just skipped class this morning."

Kasumi shook her head as she gazed at her best friend in a disapproving manner. This wasn't the first time that her friend had voiced that particular opinion and she didn't like to hear it. "What have I told you about that Shiro-chan?"

"That skipping class is bad and I could ruin my future," Shiro recited instantly, having been down this particular road a number of times with her already.

Heikichi snorted as he listened to Shiro's reply, finding the very thought of his genius classmate ruining his future absurd. "With his grades, not likely. Kurosaki almost never pays attention and yet he's still at the head of the class."

Shiro smirked as he listened to Heikichi defending him. Then he turned his attention back to Kasumi. "And for the record it wasn't MY fault that I was late for class this time." Shiro paused and pointed an accusing finger at Heikichi. "I was late because I had to save HIM from a Hollow. Again."

"I was wondering what happened to you," Kasumi said as she turned her attention to the older boy, who looked slightly worse for wear.

Shiro smirked and shook his head, recalling what Heikichi had said to him after he'd destroyed the Hollow. "Um Kasumi, the Hollow didn't do that to him. He did that to himself."

Kasumi gaped at Heikichi. "He's kidding right? Please tell me that he's kidding."

Heikichi shook his head, his eyes cast downward in a dejected manner. "He's not kidding. I tried to fight a Hollow this morning and I ended up zapping myself."

"You poor guy," Kasumi said in a sympathetic voice.

"Oh I know you did not just say that," Shiro said, his tone slightly annoyed. "If I'd been the one who'd done something like that you'd be laughing your butt off right now."

"Probably," Kasumi said with a shrug. "But it wasn't you."

"Ugh," Shiro groaned, staring at his best friend through narrowed eyes.

"I think you made him mad," Heikichi commented as his gaze shifted back and forth from Shiro to Kasumi.

"He'll get over it," Kasumi said, offering Shiro a bright smile. "He always does."

"Always?" Heikichi repeated. "How often does this happen?"

"Too often," Shiro muttered. Then his expression turned serious and he focused an intense gaze on Heikichi. "So where should we go to train?"

"We can go to my house if you want," Heikichi replied after a moment of thought during which he debated the question that Shiro had posed to him. "It's more secluded than your house plus my parents are out of town for the weekend. There won't be anyone there to bother us."

Shiro nodded. "Alright then. I have to swing by my house and tell my parents that I'm going to hang out with you this afternoon and then we'll go to your house and get started."

"Right," Heikichi said with a nod.

Shiro turned to face Kasumi. "Would you like to come along Kasumi? It could be entertaining."

Kasumi's gaze shifted back and forth between the two boys and then she nodded. "I'll come. Just in case either of you end up wounded."

Both boys looked offended by her comment however neither of them said anything about it. Together the trio left the school grounds and made their way to Shiro's house. Then, once the young boy had informed his parents that he was going to Heikichi's house, the children made their way across Karakura Town.

"The backyard's probably the best place for this," Heikichi stated once they'd arrived at his house. "The fence will block most of the weirdness from view."

Shiro's gaze shifted toward the sky. "And it actually looks like it could storm at any moment so we're safe there as well."

"Hadn't thought about that," the older boy mumbled, slightly embarrassed by the oversight.

"Of course not," Shiro said, shaking his head. "And that's why I'm the brains of this outfit."

"You shouldn't be that way Shiro-chan," Kasumi said in a reproachful voice as Heikichi led the way into the backyard.

Shiro opened his mouth to reply to her reproach however he was interrupted before any words escaped his lips by a series of shrill, ear-piercing yelps. "What the. . ." Shiro exclaimed as a startled Kasumi jumped back and stumbled into him. The young girl lost her balance and would have gone crashing to the ground if Shiro hadn't wrapped his arms around her to steady her.

"Thanks Shiro-chan," Kasumi whispered as she regained her balance.

"No problem," Shiro said, turning a questioning gaze toward Heikichi as a small, tan dog ran toward them barking wildly.

"It's the neighbor's dog," Heikichi explained in a slightly apologetic voice, as he gazed at the dog that was running around wildly and yapping at them. "He thinks he lives here and he hates my guts."

"You seem to have that effect on people," Shiro muttered before he dismissed the dog's presence entirely. "So are you ready Heikichi?"

Heikichi nodded however there was a confused expression in his intense brown eyes. "Aren't you going to become a Shinigami Kurosaki?"

"Heck no!" Shiro exclaimed, shaking his head vehemently.

"Why not?" Heikichi asked. "I thought you were serious about this training."

"I'm one hundred percent serious about this training," Shiro said, his gaze focused on Heikichi. "And I can use kidou while in my physical body so don't worry about having a worthy opponent."

"But. . ." Heikichi began.

"This isn't open for debate," Shiro snapped, cutting the older boy's words short. "If I assume my Shinigami form and something happens then I'm a goner, for keeps. At least this way I have an extra life, so to speak."

"Oh," Heikichi said. That was something else that he hadn't thought about; the possibility that he might hurt his classmate during this training session.

"And now that we've had that little fight let's switch gears." The white-haired boy held his hands out in front of him.

Heikichi arched an eyebrow. "Exactly what are you doing Kurosaki?"

Shiro didn't reply verbally to the question that had been posed to him by his classmate however his actions spoke way louder than words. "Pale Fire Crash!"

"Crap!" Heikichi exclaimed as he barely managed to dodge the kidou blast that Shiro aimed in his direction. Heikichi whirled around to glare at his friend and promptly lost his balance and fell backward. Shiro rolled his eyes and sighed as he watched Heikichi fall on his butt. "Oh bravo."

"Hey!" Heikichi said indignantly as he got quickly to his feet. "At least I dodged it."

"Good thing too," Shiro said dryly. "That would have seriously hurt."

"Are you serious?" Heikichi asked, his eyes wide.

"Of course I'm serious," Shiro replied. "I told you already that I was one hundred percent serious about this training. Are you still disappointed that I didn't change into my Shinigami form?"

Heikichi shook his head as he eyed the singed spot on the ground where Shiro's attack had struck. "I could have been killed."

"Guess that's a good incentive for you to dodge," Shiro said with a smirk.

"You're crazy," Heikichi said, his eyes widening as Shiro once again raised his hands and prepared to attack.

"I've been called that," Shiro said with a laugh. "And worse. Red Flame Cannon!"

Heikichi set his jaw firmly in determination and this time, instead of dodging, he held up his hands and summoned all of his dormant powers. "Please work," he muttered.

_"Not bad," _Shiro thought to himself as he jumped out of the path of a small bolt of lightening. He was slightly impressed by the attack although he'd never admit that fact to his classmate. The boy landed lightly on the ground a few feet away from his opponent and turned his gaze back toward Heikichi. "That was pitiful," he said in a taunting voice.

Heikichi clenched his teeth together to keep from cursing at Shiro and he raised his hands for a second attack. The wind began to blow fiercely around the yard and several black clouds formed overhead, eclipsing the storm clouds that were already there. Heikichi prepared to attack and Shiro eyed him in anticipation however when the attack was finally released Shiro knew immediately that he would not be the victim if it struck. The neighbor's little yappy dog dashed across the yard and, seeing the immanent danger that the little thing faced, Kasumi dashed over to save it.

"No," Shiro exclaimed as he dashed across the yard and pulled both Kasumi and the dog out of the path of the huge bolt of lightening, barely managing to avoid the attack. The group rolled on the ground a couple of times and then landed in a heap a few feet away from the spot where Heikichi's attack had struck. Not happy about it's rescue the little dog bared it's teeth and growled menacingly at Shiro however the boy simply growled back. "Dog, if you bite me I swear. . ."

The dog immediately ceased it's growling and wagged it's tail.

"That's what I thought," Shiro muttered as he watched Kasumi place the dog on the ground. Once the dog had been deposited on the ground Shiro go slowly to his feet and then offered Kasumi his hand. The young girl took the hand that her best friend held out to her and allowed him to pull her to her feet. Once both kids had regained their footing Shiro turned slowly to glare at Heikichi.

"Kurosaki I. . ."

"Don't make excuses," Shiro said sharply as he turned away from the older boy. "Come on Kasumi, let's go."

Kasumi offered Heikichi an apologetic look before she followed Shiro out of the backyard. Shiro led the way back across Karakura Town to their respective homes and when they were about halfway there Kasumi placed her hand on her best friend's arm. "Shiro-chan. . ."

"It's okay Kasumi," Shiro said as he stopped walking and turned to face her. "I know what you're going to say and it isn't necessary. I'm not mad at Heikichi and I have every intention of continuing to help him train but I just don't think that it's safe to be training there. I have a better idea."

"Alright," Kasumi said, accepting Shiro's explanation without further question however there was something that she wanted to know. "But did you have to be such a jerk about it Shiro-chan?"

"I didn't mean to be a jerk," Shiro said in a quiet voice, thinking back to the way that he'd treated his classmate after the disastrous attack that had almost struck Kasumi, not to mention the neighbor's dog. "But you could have been hurt and that was unacceptable."

Kasumi gazed over at her best friend with a warm look in her blue eyes. "Aw Shiro-chan."

"Don't go reading more into that than there is," Shiro warned.

"Of course not," Kasumi said with a smile.

"Come on," Shiro said, suddenly uncomfortable with his current situation. A slight blush rose to color his face. "I'll walk you home and then I'll see about fixing the problem with Heikichi. I know one place where we can't possibly hurt anyone innocent."

Kasumi nodded and allowed her best friend to walk her home.

A/N- Cliffhanger! Oh no! Hope you enjoyed this latest installment of Shiro's story. Until the next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	29. Unusual Training

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach

Chapter Twenty-Nine - Unusual Training

Shiro had just returned from an afternoon spent at Heikichi's house and as soon as he stepped inside his own home he searched the small area for the reiatsu of his parents. He was well aware of the fact that he could easily find them in the modest home that they shared merely by searching for them the normal way however the young boy was in a hurry and this way was simply faster.

He sensed their reiatsu in the small upstairs office that they shared and quickly dashed up the stairs. When Shiro reached the door of the office he found it closed. _"I guess they must be working on paperwork or something," _the young boy thought to himself as he knocked lightly on the door.

"Come in," his mom's voice called out from within the office.

Shiro opened the door and stepped inside the office. His gaze quickly swept over the small room and he saw that his parents were both seated at their desks, Rukia working steadily on paperwork and Ichigo chewing on the end of his pen and staring off into space. His mother paused her work as he stepped inside the office and she offered him a warm smile. "Hello Shiro-chan. What are you doing home? I thought you were spending the day with Heikichi."

"I was," Shiro said simply, trying not to think back on the events that had led him here. "But something came up and I really need to speak to Grandpa Ukitake. I'd like your permission to travel to Soul Society to speak with him."

"You're actually asking for permission this time?" Ichigo asked as he pulled the pen from his mouth and stared over at his son, his eyes widening in surprise. "This has to be a first for you Toushirou."

Shiro glared at his father but neither agreed with nor denied his accusation. Then he turned his attention back to Rukia. "So Mom, can I go?"

Rukia pondered the boy's question for a few minutes, her gaze focused intently on the young white-haired boy, and then she nodded her head. "That's fine Shiro-chan. You may go and speak to Head Captain Ukitake but make sure that you stay out of trouble."

"I will," Shiro said with a smile as he turned to leave.

Ichigo watched his son leave the office and then he turned to face his wife. "Do you suppose we should send word to Soul Society and warn them that he's coming?"

Rukia shook her head. "It'll be fine Ichigo. If he were planning on causing any trouble then he wouldn't have asked for permission before he traveled to Soul Society. You know our son, he wouldn't see the point in avoiding trouble for one thing just so that he could get into trouble for something else."

"You're right," Ichigo admitted. "That boy of yours never does anything half way."

* * *

After he left his parents' office Shiro quickly made his way down to the basement, where he activated the portal to Soul Society with a burst of reiatsu. Once the gateway was open Shiro stepped through it and made his way to the Seireitei. Upon arriving there, Shiro made his way to Squad One without hesitation. He had a favor to ask of the Head Captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads and he didn't want to delay his request.

When Shiro arrived at the Squad One barracks he made his way down the hall to Ukitake's office and, on his way there, he ran into the Head Captain's best friend, Captain of Squad Eight, Shunsui Kyouraku. "Hello," he said respectfully as the Captain fell into step beside him.

"Hey Shiro-kun!" Kyouraku exclaimed in a booming voice, offering the young boy a broad smile. "And what brings you to Soul Society today? Are you out to cause trouble?"

"I need a favor from the Head Captain," Shiro replied, choosing to ignore the question about causing trouble.

"Is that so?" Kyouraku said, gazing down at the young boy who was walking beside him. "I was just on my way to see him as well. I guess the two of us can go and see him together."

Shiro nodded, not really minding the company. It wasn't as though he'd planned on keeping his request a secret or anything like that so together Kyouraku and Shiro made their way down the hall to the office of the Head Captain and when they arrived Shiro reached up to knock on the door however the Squad Eight Captain winked at the young boy and pulled the door open.

"Jyuu!" Kyouraku called out loudly as he waltzed into the room, his flowery pink haori fanning out behind him as he walked.

Ukitake glanced up from his paperwork and watched as his best friend made his way across the office. Kyouraku was carrying a small bottle of sake in his hand and it was obvious from his behavior that he'd been drinking before his arrival at Squad One. Ukitake shook his head, his gaze leaving his best friend and going to the young boy who was still standing in the doorway, looking somewhat shocked. "Hello Shiro-chan," Ukitake said, chuckling softly to himself. "Is there something that I can help you with?"

Shiro nodded and, after closing the door behind himself, he made his way across the room to the Head Captain's desk. "I came to ask a favor."

"I'm listening," Ukitake said, his gaze briefly going back to Kyouraku who had flung himself down on the sofa and pulled his hat over his eyes and then returning to the young boy who stood before him.

"Well you see I have this friend," Shiro said. "His name is Heikichi and he has these strange powers. He can control the elements as well as move things with his mind. It's kind of weird actually. Anyway these powers of his are fairly new and he hasn't learned to fully control them yet. I tried to help him out with that but it was a complete and utter disaster. He summoned these really wicked looking black clouds and harnessed the lightening within them, almost killing me, Kasumi and the neighbor's dog in the process."

Ukitake raised an eyebrow.

"I guess that brings me to my request," Shiro said in a quiet voice. "Heikichi is determined to learn to control these powers and he wants my help but I'm not sure his neighbor's dog can survive a second lesson which is why I'd like your permission to bring him here to Soul Society to train."

Ukitake debated the young boy's request for a few minutes, a serious expression on his face. The favor that the boy was asking wasn't something that was usually allowed however special exceptions had been made in the past. He'd made one when Rukia had wanted to train Orihime before the war with Aizen and he trusted Shiro's judgment enough to decide to make another one. He nodded, his serious gaze focused on Shiro. "You have my permission Toushirou however before you bring him here I have to tell you that you are responsible for anything that might happen while this boy's in the Seireitei."

"I understand," Shiro said, bowing to the Head Captain. "Thank you sir. If it's alright with you I'd like to get started right away."

"That's fine Shiro," Ukitake said. "But I'd like for you to bring your friend to my office before the two of you head out to the training grounds okay?"

"Sure," Shiro said. "We'll be here in about an hour if that's okay with you."

Ukitake nodded once more and watched as the young boy turned and left the office. Then, once the boy was gone, the Head Captain got to his feet and walked across the room to the sofa where Kyouraku was lying. He gazed down at his friend, who had his hat pulled down over his eyes and was feigning sleep. "Get up Shunsui, I know you're not asleep."

Kyouraku stretched lazily and pushed the brim of his hat back so that he could gaze up at his best friend. He grinned at the expression on Ukitake's face before he slowly sat up and allowed his friend to join him on the sofa. "So you're going to allow Shiro to bring a normal human here huh Jyuu?"

"Yes," Ukitake nodded. "I trust him and besides, it's our duty to protect the world of the living from threats and honestly what's more threatening than a cocky child who possesses powers that they can't control?"

"I'm sure the neighbor's dog will thank you even if no one else does," Kyouraku said with a grin, imagining a young boy frying a small dog with a bolt of lightening. He laughed out loud at the mental picture that thought produced and Ukitake gazed over at him, shaking his head ever so slightly.

"There's another reason," Ukitake said quietly, his thoughts going back to something that Ichigo and Rukia had told him awhile back. "This boy, Heikichi, is actually the reincarnation of Sousuke Aizen and I want to know more about him."

"Ah," Kyouraku said, nodding his head. He knew that his friend wanted to size up this boy and find out whether or not he posed any kind of threat to Soul Society.

* * *

After his meeting with the Head Captain Shiro left the Squad One barracks and dashed across the Seireitei back to the Senkaimon. He had an hour to collect Heikichi, convince him to travel to Soul Society, and explain to his parents what he had planned. The first two should be simple enough however the young boy knew that the third task was likely to be a nightmare.

_"Should have thought this out better," _the boy thought to himself as he climbed the stairs and emerged from the basement. _"It could take all day to explain this to everyone."_

There was no sign of either of his parents as Shiro walked through the house toward the front door and he decided that he'd explain things to them when he returned with Heikichi. So, decision made, he left his house and made his way back across town to Heikichi's house.

When he arrived at the small house Shiro knocked lightly on the door, hoping against hope that his friend hadn't decided to go anywhere after their training session. After a few moments the door opened to reveal Heikichi, who wore a confused and somewhat shocked expression on his face. "Kurosaki?"

"Close your mouth before you swallow a bug or something," Shiro said with a smirk.

"Okay I'm confused," Heikichi muttered as he stepped back so that Shiro could enter the house. He closed the front door and then turned to face his classmate. "Okay what's going on Kurosaki? You were royally ticked off when you left."

"Of course I was mad you idiot," Shiro snapped, glaring at the older boy. "You almost zapped me and Kasumi with fifty thousand volts. Wouldn't you be ticked?"

"Probably," Heikichi was forced to admit. "So why exactly did you come back? I thought for sure that you'd given up on me."

Shiro shook his head. "That's not why I left. I don't give up on anything. I left to find us a place to train where you couldn't cause complete and utter devastation."

"And?" Heikichi prompted, curious as to what kind of a solution Shiro had come up with.

"And we're going to Soul Society to train," Shiro told his friend. "They're well equipped to handle this kind of thing. Happens there all the time."

Heikichi looked slightly reluctant. "Is that even safe? I mean I'm still alive and that place is like the world of the dead."

"It's fine," Shiro assured his friend. "I'm still alive and I go there all the time. Not to mention the fact that my dad's been doing it for. . . practically forever."

"Wait a minute Kurosaki," Heikichi said, Shiro's statement not really serving to make him feel better. In fact it actually had the opposite affect. "I've met your dad and. . ."

"Don't worry," Shiro said with a grin. "I know what you're thinking and I have it on good authority that he was like that way before he began going to Soul Society."

"Oh," Heikichi said. "Alright then, let's go."

Shiro nodded and together the two boys made their way across town to the Kurosaki residence. The trip didn't take them long, since Shiro insisted that they jog the entire way, and as they entered the house they ran into Ichigo and Rukia, almost literally as the two adults were leaving the house just as the two kids were arriving.

"What are you boys up to?" Ichigo asked warily, gazing down at the two boys.

"We're going to Soul Society to train," Shiro replied, enjoying the shocked look that instantly appeared on his dad's face. _"That's priceless," _he thought to himself.

"Is that what you wanted to speak to the Head Captain about?" Rukia questioned.

Shiro nodded. "I had to. I've tried to help him but he's too destructive. He's already almost killed me, Kasumi and the neighbor's dog and he's hasn't had these powers for any real length of time."

Heikichi frowned as he listened to his friend, clenching his hands into fists. _"You're lucky that I can't control it Kurosaki or you'd be toast right about now."_

Rukia sighed. "Try not to destroy anything okay Shiro-chan?"

Shiro nodded and then turned to his friend. "Come on public menace number one."

Heikichi growled low in his throat as he bowed respectfully to Shiro's parents and then followed the younger boy to the stairs that led down to the basement of the house. "You have a tunnel to the spirit world in your basement?"

"Yea," Shiro said as though that were completely normal.

"Weird," Heikichi muttered.

When the two kids arrived in the basement Heikichi's gaze fell upon the archway that stood in the center of the room. "This is some kind of joke right Kurosaki? That can't lead to Soul Society, I can see right through it."

"Not for long," Shiro said as he walked over to the Senkaimon. The young boy placed his hand on the side of the archway and released the burst of reiatsu that was required to open the portal to Soul Society. Heikichi's eyes widened in disbelief as the archway began to glow. "Unreal."

"Come on," Shiro said from his spot beside the Senkaimon. "We don't have all day you know."

"Right," Heikichi said, snapping out of his trance and running over to join his friend. "And you're sure that this is safe Kurosaki?"

Shiro shook his head and, instead of answering the question, he walked up behind his friend and shoved the older boy through the portal. Then, rolling his eyes and sighing heavily, he stepped through the gateway himself.

"That was really mean Kurosaki!" Heikichi exclaimed once they'd arrived in Soul Society and he'd recovered from his initial shock.

"Sorry but we really didn't have time for that," Shiro said. "And you're here and normal, or at least as normal as you get, so no harm done."

Heikichi looked as though he'd like to argue further however, after a few minutes, he shrugged. "So now what?"

"Now we go to Squad One and talk to Head Captain Ukitake," Shiro said as he began walking in the direction of the Squad One barracks. "He's the one who granted you permission to come here. He's in charge and he wanted us to come to his office before we began our training."

Heikichi gulped as he ran to catch up with Shiro. "So is he. . . um is he a nice guy?"

"Well," Shiro said, pausing briefly so that he could turn and stare at his friend. "Based on the fact that you shouldn't be here and yet he allowed me to bring you here to train I'd say yes he's a really nice guy. Not to mention the fact that he puts up with my dad."

"Wow," Heikichi said. "He must be a very patient man."

Shiro nodded and continued walking in the direction of the Squad One barracks. When they arrived the young boy knocked lightly on the door and then stepped back. "Enter," a voice called out from within and Shiro slid the door open and stepped inside the office, followed closely behind by Heikichi, who had no desire to be left behind in a strange place.

"Welcome back Toushirou," Ukitake said as the two boys walked across the room toward the couch where he and Captain Kyouraku sat. He had to fight hard to hide the shock that he felt upon seeing the young boy walking beside Shiro. The kid was indeed eerily similar to the former Squad Five Captain and seeing him walking beside Shiro was really weird since Aizen was the one who had fired the kidou blast that had ended Hitsugaya's life.

"Sir this is my classmate Heikichi Yamino," Shiro said as he and his friend came to a stop in front of the two captains. "And Heikichi, this is Head Captain Ukitake and Squad Eight Captain Kyouraku."

Heikichi bowed respectfully to the two captains and then turned his attention to Ukitake. "Thank you for allowing me to come here to train sir."

Ukitake nodded in the young boy's direction, fixing him with an appraising gaze. "You're welcome Heikichi. Just make sure that you and Toushirou are careful."

"Yes sir," Heikichi said.

"Alright Toushirou," Head Captain Ukitake said, turning back to the white haired youth who stood before him. "The Squad One training grounds are all yours. Just remember what I told you earlier and try to keep the damage to a minimum."

Shiro nodded and then turned to his classmate. "Come on Heikichi."

"Right," Heikichi said, turning to follow Shiro out of the office.

"Hey Jyuu," Captain Kyouraku said, pushing back the brim of his hat so that his eyes were once again visible as he turned his gaze to his best friend. "What do you say to the two of us going out there and watching them train? It could be interesting, considering who the two combatants are as well as who they used to be."

"It could be at that," Ukitake said with a nod as the two captains got to their feet.

Ukitake and Kyouraku walked out to the training grounds at a leisurely pace and by the time they arrived on the ledge from which they could watch the battle the two young boys were already facing one another, Shiro with his zanpaktou drawn. "Kind of seems like an unfair advantage when you look at it like this," the Head Captain commented, gazing down at the two combatants.

"So what was the old man talking about earlier Kurosaki?" Heikichi asked as he faced his classmate. "What did the two of you discuss?"

"He told me that I'm responsible for anything that happens while you're here," Shiro replied, holding up his zanpaktou. "So do me a favor and try not to do anything stupid."

"Come on Kurosaki," Heikichi said, arching a brow. "Do you honestly think that I would do anything stupid?"

"Yes," Shiro said without hesitation. "And I'm warning you now, try and keep those powers of yours under control because we're both in soul form and if we die here then it's for keeps."

Heikichi's eyes widened. He hadn't even thought about the possibility of dying during this little training exercise. "Is it too late to back out?"

"Yes," Shiro said, lunging toward his friend.

"Crap," Heikichi said, raising his hands and attempting to summon the lightening attack that he'd managed to harness earlier that day. The black clouds obeyed his summons, appearing overhead just like before, however instead of the lightening all he managed to summon was rain.

Shiro rolled his eyes as he felt the droplets of rain hit his skin. _"You have got to be kidding me," _he thought to himself as he swung Hyourinmaru, instantly turning the rain drops into tiny daggers of ice, which he then directed toward his friend with a second flick of his sword.

"Hey!" Heikichi exclaimed as he dodged the attack.

"Did you even think about that before you did it?" Shiro shouted from his spot a few feet away. "I mean honestly, what makes ice?"

"You think that was what I was trying to do?" Heikichi shouted back, glaring at his friend. "I was trying for lightening but this is what I got. Apparently with my particular powers it's a gamble and I lost this time."

"Pitiful," Shiro scoffed.

"You'll pay for that," Heikichi exclaimed, his eyes narrowing as he gazed over at the younger boy. "Eventually," he added in an undertone that only he could hear.

It was at this point that Shiro noticed the two captains who were watching their battle from a ledge above the training grounds. He wasn't really surprised to see them there however he did feel the need to warn them about the possible dangers that they faced. "Better watch out," he shouted up to them. "Heikichi hasn't learned the fine art of aiming yet. It might not be safe up there. You'd be better off down here with me."

"Kurosaki," Heikichi growled, raising his hands and summoning a fierce wind.

"Nice," Shiro commented, although he didn't speak loud enough for his classmate to hear the single word of praise. "But you seem to forget that I can do that too." This said Shiro raised his reiatsu and caused a chill wind to blow across the battle ground.

The two winds clashed together and a fissure appeared where the two powers connected.

"Unreal," Ukitake murmured as he watched the two young boys doing battle. "Those two could be seriously dangerous in a couple of years."

"Could be?" Kyouraku repeated, his gaze also focused down below. "I'd say they're already a force to be reckoned with."

"I'd say you're right," Ukitake said, nodding his head in agreement as he watched Shiro release the dragon comprised of ice and water.

"What's the kid doing now?" Kyouraku asked, his eyes widening as the dragon soared toward a very shocked looking Heikichi. "Doesn't he think that attack's a little advanced to be using on someone who can't control their powers?"

"I see what he's doing," Ukitake said quietly as he watched the shocked expression that the older boy wore turn into one of extreme concentration. "Toushirou's hoping that in the heat of battle and under the immediate threat of serious injury or death he can force Heikichi's powers out. It's kind of like how Urahara trained Ichigo."

"I see," Kyouraku said, his gaze once again shifting from his friend back down to the two combatants. "Well I hope for that boy's sake that it works or else we're going to be peeling him up off the rocks in a few minutes."

"I hope it doesn't force out something that we're not prepared to deal with," Ukitake said in a quiet voice.

"Crap!" Heikichi exclaimed as he watched the dragon sailing toward him. Apparently his classmate wasn't playing around anymore and he raised his hands, hoping desperately that he could summon an attack that would be powerful enough to block the dragon. "Is this supposed to be some kind of revenge for the whole lightening thing earlier?!"

"You'd better shut up and block," Shiro warned from his spot a few feet away. "Or else run as though your life depends upon it, cause you know it kinda does."

"I will not run," Heikichi murmured, forcing his trembling hands to steady. He concentrated all of his energy and, just as the dragon was about to strike, Heikichi managed to summon another bolt of lightening which caused Shiro's attack to explode into a spray of ice and water.

"Awesome!" Shiro exclaimed, although he quickly lost some of his enthusiasm as he watched his classmate sink to his knees. Sheathing his sword he quickly ran over to the spot where Heikichi knelt, fighting to catch his breath and dropped to one knee beside the older boy. "Are you okay?"

"I'll make it," Heikichi managed to say despite his rather ragged breathing. "Thank you Kurosaki."

"Thank you?" Shiro repeated, his voice filled with confusion as he gazed at his classmate as though the older boy had suddenly developed brain damage. "Wait a minute, you're thanking me for almost killing you?"

"No," Heikichi said getting to his feet and struggling to stand on his somewhat shaky legs. "I'm thanking you for forcing me to use my powers. I get it now. They work best when me or someone else is in imminent danger."

"Oh," Shiro said. "Well you're welcome, I guess."

At that moment the two boys were joined on the training grounds by the two captains who had been watching their battle. "Nice battle," Kyouraku said as he and Ukitake came to a stop in front of the two boys. Ukitake nodded his head in agreement. "It was a very impressive battle but I think that the two of you should call it quits for today."

"You won't hear any complaints from me," Heikichi said. "My legs feel like Jell-O and if I had to face another move like that last one I'd probably die."

Shiro smirked.

"Oh laugh it up Kurosaki," Heikichi said. "But you'd have fun explaining that one to my parents. Um I'm sorry but I took your son to the world of the dead where I promptly killed him. You know that sounds really weird when you say it like that."

"You have a point," Shiro said, sobering a small degree. "On the bright side I could probably plead insanity and get away with it."

"Probably," Heikichi said. "But I'm not sure that you should be bragging about that."

"Hmm," Shiro said with a shrug. "Well come on. The two of us should probably be getting back to the world of the living before my parents start thinking that I killed you. Thanks again for letting us train here Head Captain Ukitake."

"No problem," Ukitake said, smiling at the antics of the two boys. "Feel free to bring your friend back to train just make sure that you warn the rest of us ahead of time."

"Okay," Shiro said with a grin.

Head Captain Ukitake and Captain Kyouraku watched as the two boys turned and walked off across the training grounds, toward the Senkaimon that would take them back home to the world of the living. Both were very impressed with the battle that they had just witnessed between two human boys.

"I don't think anyone other than Shiro and perhaps his young friend Kasumi have witnessed this boy's powers," Ukitake said in a thoughtful voice. "The powers that he is calling forth are unconscious bursts of kidou and it's advanced kidou at that. I only know of a handful of Shinigami who can use kidou to control the weather."

"Do you think there is any significance to this?" Kyouraku asked.

"I do not know yet," Ukitake replied honestly.

"Imagine the two of them as trained Shinigami," Kyouraku said in a rare moment of seriousness. "Captain material if I ever saw it."

"I agree," Ukitake said.

"Now," Kyouraku said, turning to face his best friend and grinning like an idiot. "Let's go and have that drink."

__________________________________________________________________________________

Momo Hinamori stepped back behind the trees, huddling behind their relative safety. She couldn't believe the sight that had just met her gaze. She'd just finished with classes at the Academy when she'd felt the familiar reiatsu of Shiro-chan, along with another strong reiatsu that she couldn't identify but also felt vaguely familiar to her. Curious as to who the young boy was fighting with Hinamori had made her way across the Seireitei to the Squad One training grounds and once there she couldn't believe the sight that had met her curious gaze.

Shiro had been on the battle field, just as she'd expected, and facing off against him was another young boy. Hinamori had gasped as her gaze fell upon the other boy, who appeared to be a few years older than Shiro. She couldn't believe her eyes, he looked just like Captain Aizen. Seeing the two boys fighting had brought back memories that Hinamori had been trying to banish since the end of the Winter War.

"What does this mean?" Hinamori thought to herself as she turned and quickly made her way toward her home.

A/N- And thus ends another chapter of Shiro's story. Just out of curiosity is anyone still reading this? Please review and let me know what you thought, my inferiority complex is threatening to return in full force. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	30. Torment

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach

A/N- Extra special thanx to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. The reviews that I received made me smile. You guys rock! I'm happy to know that the story still has fans.

Chapter Thirty- Torment

Walking back from the Squad One training grounds Hinamori couldn't keep her thoughts from flashing back to the two young boys that she'd seen walking side by side. One was Shiro-chan, the reincarnation of her beloved best friend who had died in the Winter War to save her life, and the other was obviously the reincarnation of Aizen, the man who had caused so much pain to so many people. Seeing the two boys fighting had brought back memories that Hinamori had been desperately trying to forget since the end of the Winter War and yet now they were back in full force.

_"I don't understand," _Hinamori thought to herself, feeling the hot tears that were streaming down her face. _"Why?"_

Confused beyond description and haunted by memories of the past Hinamori absently made her way across the Seireitei and she was somewhat shocked when she found herself at HIS special place in the Rukongai. Hinamori couldn't count the number of times that she'd found her best friend in this very spot although it was usually when he was upset about something. Gazing at the water had always seemed to offer comfort to her best friend and now Hinamori sought some of that comfort for herself.

Hinamori sat down under one of the large trees, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them protectively. _"Shirou-chan, Aizen's back and I don't know whether he's good or bad. I don't know what to think."_

"Idiot." Hinamori could almost hear the voice of her dearly departed best friend and could actually picture Toushirou sitting beside her, wearing a disapproving expression on his face.

As she stared out at the peacefully flowing river a picture of the young boy who had been with Shiro-chan appeared in her mind and she shuddered, deciding that it was worse because the boy resembled the Aizen that she had practically worshipped. The boy had the same shaggy brown hair which fell down in front of intense brown eyes. All the kid needed to complete the look was the pair of glasses that Aizen had worn when he was Captain of Squad Five, before his betrayal of Soul Society. She couldn't help but think that the sight of the boy would have been easier for her to bare if only he'd looked like the evil Aizen, the Aizen who had heartlessly forced Toushirou to give up his life in exchange for the lives of herself and Rukia.

Why did the boy have to look like the Aizen that she'd idolized?

* * *

Squad Thirteen Captain Shuhei Hisagi had finally finished with his paperwork for the day and, completely exhausted, he made his way to the small house that he shared with his wife Hinamori. When he arrived at his home Hisagi noticed that the windows were dark, which seemed unusual to him. The sun was beginning to set so Hinamori should have gotten out of class several hours ago and yet there was no sign of her at the house. _"I wonder where she could be," _Hisagi thought to himself as he looked around for Hinamori.

After determining the fact that Hinamori was nowhere in the vicinity of the house Hisagi searched for the reiatsu of his wife and, although it was faint and obviously some distance away, he did feel it. _"The Rukongai?" _he thought to himself in confusion. _"Why in the world would she go to the Rukongai?"_

Curious as to what could have led his wife out to the Rukongai, Hisagi used his flash-step and disappeared. He knew, with almost one hundred percent certainty, where in the Rukongai he would find Hinamori and sure enough, when he arrived at the river in District One he found his wife sitting under a tree. Hinamori had her arms wrapped around her knees and Hisagi could see the lines on her face where her tears had fallen. Why had she been crying? "Momo. . ."

Gasping in surprise Hinamori glanced up and saw her husband standing a few feet away from her, a concerned expression on his face. "Shuhei. . ."

"What are you doing out here Momo?" Hisagi asked as he crossed the few feet that separated them and sat down beside her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a comforting squeeze. "Are you okay?"

Hinamori nodded as she wiped the remnants of the tears from her eyes. "I'll be fine Shuhei. I just got a little bit of a shock earlier and I came here to clear my head."

"What happened Momo?" Hisagi asked, concern evident in his voice.

Hinamori briefly debated whether or not she wanted to tell him what she had seen out at the Squad One training grounds however in the end she decided that as her husband he had the right to know. "When I left the Academy today I felt Shiro-chan's reiatsu as well as another powerful person that I couldn't identify. I could tell that they were fighting and I was curious so I went to the training grounds to check it out."

Hinamori paused at this point and it wasn't until Hisagi looked over at her expectantly that she continued with her story. "When I arrived at the training grounds I saw two young boys sparring. One of them was Shiro-chan and the other was a boy who appears to be a couple of years older and looks exactly like Aizen."

"A boy who looks like Aizen?!" Hisagi exclaimed, his eyes widening in surprise. "Here in Soul Society?"

Hinamori nodded and there was a haunted expression in Hinamori's chocolate colored eyes. "Yes and he's Shiro-chan's friend."

Hisagi clenched his hand into a fist, the one that wasn't gripping Hinamori's shoulder in a comforting gesture. He absolutely hated the fact that she had been caused pain and well remembered those tumultuous days right after the final battle with Aizen, when Momo had been convinced that she didn't deserve to live. She had been suicidal over the death of her best friend and would have taken her own life had Rukia not intervened.

_"I neglected my squad and many of them died because of it. I betrayed my best friend and attacked him. I devoted my entire life to a captain who hid the fact that he was evil and betrayed his fellow Shinigami. I even defended him. I was saved from him by my best friend twice. If it wasn't for me then he would still be here. He was trying to protect me and he died because of it. It was my fault. He didn't deserve that. I shouldn't even be here."_

Hisagi would never forget the tormented expression that his wife had held in her chocolate colored eyes as she'd bared her heart and soul to him on that day and he would do virtually anything to keep her from further pain. He tightened his grip on her shoulder. "Listen Momo, I know that boy looks like Aizen but that's not who he is. Aizen is gone."

"I know that," Hinamori said in a quiet voice. "But. . ."

"I'm sure Head Captain Ukitake wouldn't have allowed him to come to the Seireitei if he posed any kind of threat," Hisagi said in a further attempt to comfort Hinamori and quell her fears.

"I'm sure that you're right," Hinamori said, her voice growing even softer, now barely more than a whisper. "It's just that it was so hard to see that face again after so many years. It brought back memories that I've been trying to forget for seventeen years."

"I understand," Hisagi said, getting to his feet and offering Hinamori his hand. "Come on Momo, let's go home."

Hinamori nodded and accepted the hand that was held out to her. She allowed her husband to pull her to her feet and then she and Hisagi made their way back to the Seireitei, walking hand in hand. As they walked Hisagi clutched the small hand that was held in his own and, with a small smile, Hinamori returned the gentle pressure.

* * *

"I can't believe you Kurosaki," Heikichi exclaimed as he and his classmate sat together under a tree in Shiro's backyard. They had returned from their trip to Soul Society a couple of hours ago however Shiro had suggested that Heikichi should recover for a little while before he walked back to his house. "You were actually trying to hurt me."

"Well I wouldn't have had to if you could just use your powers," Shiro said in his own defense. "That was the only way that I knew of to draw out your powers. I was banking on the fact that your powers would come to the surface if you thought your life was in danger."

"And what would you have done if your little theory had been wrong?" Heikichi demanded, glaring at the younger boy.

"More than likely I would have been forced to scrape you up off of the ground," Shiro said, his tone absolutely serious as he gazed over at his classmate.

"One of these days Kurosaki," Heikichi threatened, holding his clenched fist up.

"Yea, yea," Shiro said, not even the slightest bit concerned with the implied threat from Heikichi.

"You were put on this earth just to torment me weren't you?" Heikichi asked, his narrow eyed gaze focused on Shiro.

Shiro shrugged. "Probably."

Heikichi growled low in his throat however before he had the chance to say anything else to Shiro the two boys heard the sound of a door opening. Their gazes simultaneously went to the back door and they watched as Ichigo stepped outside and began to walk toward them.

"What do you think he wants?" Heikichi asked in a low voice.

Shiro shrugged once again. "I have no idea why my Dad does anything that he does."

"I see the two of you made it back," Ichigo said as he came to a stop in front of the spot where the two boys were sitting.

"Yea," Shiro said. "Hours ago."

"So I'm a little behind the times," Ichigo said. "Your mother held me hostage until all of the paperwork had been finished."

Shiro smirked as he listened to the words of his Dad. "You know if you'd just do your paperwork when you're supposed to then things like that wouldn't happen."

"Feh," Ichigo snapped, not wanting to hear the same words coming from his son that he so often heard coming from his wife. "So did you guys cause untold devastation in Soul Society?"

"No!" Shiro snapped, glaring at his dad through narrowed eyes.

"Okay, okay," Ichigo said with a chuckle. "I was just asking, you don't have to get so worked up about it Toushirou."

"Ugh," Shiro said. "Did you have a reason for coming out here Dad?"

"Not really," Ichigo said with a shrug. "I just wanted to make sure that everything went okay while you guys were training."

"It was fine Kurosaki-san," Heikichi said politely.

Ichigo nodded. "Alright then. I'll just be on my way." And with that Ichigo turned away from the two boys and made his way back toward the house.

"See Toushirou," Heikichi said as the two boys watched Shiro's dad go back inside the house. "That was all you had to do to get rid of him."

"Suck up," Shiro muttered.

A/N- And thus ends yet another chapter of Shiro's story. I realize that this chapter is short but I hope you enjoyed it. Please review and let me know what you thought. Until next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	31. Rukia's Announcement

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach

Chapter Thirty-One - Rukia's Announcement

Shiro was at Kasumi's house, helping his best friend work on a project for school, and as the two children worked the boy used the opportunity to complain to his friend about the visions that he was still being repeatedly assaulted with. "I can't believe this is still happening," Shiro muttered in an irritated voice. "I mean seriously, how messed up am I?"

"You're not messed up Shiro-chan," Kasumi said, fixing her best friend with a sympathetic expression.

"Really?" Shiro said, staring over at Kasumi with one eyebrow raised. "And what exactly would you call it?"

Kasumi shook her head, desperately wanting to tell her best friend what the visions meant but knowing that she could not. Rukia had told her that telling Shiro about his previous incarnation could cause harm to him and that was the last thing in the world that she wanted to do. "I still think that you should talk to your parents about your theory of reincarnation. Maybe they can tell you something on the subject."

Shiro shook his head. "No, I can't talk to them about it." What he didn't tell Kasumi was the main reason why he couldn't talk to his parents about his theories on reincarnation. Many of the visions consisted of him clashing swords with his family and friends and he wasn't sure what to make of that fact.

"Shiro-chan. . ."

Kasumi's words were interrupted at that point as the door of her bedroom swung open and Orihime stepped inside, holding a cordless phone in her outstretched hand. "Shiro-kun, your mother wants to speak to you."

"Okay," Shiro said as he held his hand out for the phone. Placing the phone to his ear he said, "Hey Mom."

"Shiro-chan," Rukia's voice came over the phone. "There's going to be a meeting in Soul Society in a little while and I want you to be there. Could you please come home as soon as possible?"

"Okay," Shiro said, a slight hint of confusion in his voice. "What kind of meeting?"

"You'll find out the same time everyone else does," Rukia said, refusing to give her son any of the details. "I'll see you when you get home. Bye Shiro-chan."

"Bye," Shiro said quietly. Getting to his feet the young boy held the phone out to Orihime and then he gazed down at his best friend. "Sorry Kasumi but I'll have to help you with this later. Mom said that they're having some kind of meeting in Soul Society and I have to go. I'm sorry."

"It's okay Shiro-chan," Kasumi said, offering her best friend a smile.

"Don't worry about it," Orihime said in her usual, cheerful voice, offering the two children a smile. "Kasumi and I are both going to Soul Society as well so you guys wouldn't have been able to finish the project anyway."

Both Shiro and Kasumi turned toward Orihime, identical stunned expressions on their faces. "But Mom," Kasumi said, giving voice to the question that both she and her friend were thinking. "Why are we going to Soul Society Mom?"

Orihime shrugged. "No clue. Rukia invited us but she wouldn't tell me the reason why. Guess we'll find that out when we get there."

"Weird," Shiro muttered to himself.

"Come on," Orihime said, offering the two young children another warm smile. "We'll walk together."

Kasumi got to her feet and together the trio left the Ishida residence and made their way to the Kurosaki residence. When they arrived Shiro opened the door and motioned for Kasumi and her mother to follow him inside and together they made their way to the den, where Ichigo and Rukia were standing along with Isshin, Yuzu, Karin and Kaiya.

"So what's up?" Shiro asked as he came to a stop a few feet away from his parents. The group of people with his parents only added to the confusion and he was dying to know what exactly was going on.

"You'll find out when everyone else does Shiro-chan," Rukia said once again, a soft smile on her face. "Come on. Now that you're all here we can go to Soul Society."

Shiro was still confused about the situation however judging, by the looks on the faces of the people around him, he wasn't the only one who didn't have a clue as to what was going on. Apparently the others were just as clueless as he was. _"Guess we'll just have to go with it until she decides to tell us what's going on,"_ the young boy thought to himself as he followed the rest of the group toward the staircase.

Rukia led the way to the Senkaimon that was housed in the basement and this time it was she who used her reiatsu to open the portal to Soul Society. The group followed Rukia through the portal and, once they arrived in the Seireitei, she led them toward the abandoned Squad Five barracks.

This only served to further the group's collective confusion. The barracks had been abandoned ever since Head Captain Ukitake had turned Squad Five into a living world liaison squad and was now used mainly for parties and things like that.

"Come on," Rukia encouraged the group as she opened the door of the barracks. She led the way down the hall to the conference room and when they stepped inside her little group saw that others were already assembled within.

"Alright Rukia," Ichigo said as his gaze shifted around the room and took in the faces of Head Captain Ukitake, Unohana, Hinamori, Hisagi, Renji, Isane, Matsumoto, Kin, Kyouraku, Nanao and even Byakuya although the Squad Six Captain looked as though he'd rather be any where else right now. "Would you like to explain why exactly you've summoned all of us to Squad Five?"

Rukia nodded, the soft smile still lighting up her face. "I asked you all to assemble here because I have a very important announcement to make and I wanted you all to hear it at the same time."

Rukia paused at this point and everyone gazed at her in anticipation.

"Ichigo and I are going to have a baby," Rukia exclaimed in an excited voice, her smile becoming even wider as she relayed this news.

"You're kidding!" Matsumoto exclaimed as she and the other women quickly rushed over to the spot where Rukia was standing. "That's absolutely wonderful!"

"I think so too," Rukia said in a quiet voice as she was embraced by each of her friends.

This happy moment was broken by the voice of a young boy. "Dad? Dad. . . are you okay?"

Rukia turned away from her friends and gazed over at her husband just in time to watch him drop to the ground, making absolutely no attempt to break his fall. "Oh for the love of. . ." Rukia quickly covered the ground that separated her and Ichigo and she dropped to her knees at her husband's side, shaking him with her hands. "Get up Ichigo, you're making a scene."

Ichigo's eyes opened and he gazed up at his wife, a completely stunned expression in his brown eyes. "Was it a dream or did I just hear you announce that you're pregnant?"

"It wasn't a dream," Rukia said as she playfully punched him in the chest. "You heard what you thought you heard. Aren't you happy?"

"I'm happy," Ichigo said in a quiet voice as he got to his feet. "I was just shocked, that's all. That was the last news that I was expecting to get and I'm not entirely sure that I can survive any more children."

"Well I'm afraid that you've got no choice," Rukia said as she rose to stand beside him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and placed her head against his chest. "After all, it's a little late to be having second thoughts."

"Guess you're right," Ichigo said.

At this point Rukia turned her attention toward her young son, who was standing next to Kasumi and looking just as shocked as everyone else in the room. "What do you think Shiro-chan? Are you excited about your new sibling?"

Shiro nodded, offering his mother a smile.

"Well," Matsumoto said, grinning from ear to ear. "I think a celebration is in order."

"I second that!" Captain Kyouraku exclaimed, holding up the small sake bottle that he almost always carried with him. The exuberant, pink haori wearing captain wrapped an arm around the shoulders of his vice-captain, only to have her elbow him in the ribs and glare at him in a disapproving manner. Her disapproval did not serve to curb his enthusiasm and he offered Nanao a broad smile, which she countered with a reproachful glare.

"Let's go back to Squad Ten and we can celebrate properly," Matsumoto suggested to the group assembled in the Squad Five barracks. "I'm sure that we can round up some sake. . . and probably something for you as well Rukia."

"Okay," Rukia said, chuckling softly. "But try to keep things under control alright guys? Don't forget that there are children in this group."

"Kin can watch the kids," Matsumoto suggested, turning to face her vice-captain. "Right Kin?"

"Sure Captain," Kin said. "Shiro, Kasumi and I can go for a walk out in the Rukongai while you guys have your little celebration. It'll probably be less boring, right guys?"

Shiro and Kasumi nodded their agreement.

"You two behave," Rukia and Orihime said in one voice, turning their attention back to their children.

"Right," Shiro and Kasumi chorused, used to the warnings that they frequently received from their mothers. For some reason it was like they weren't trusted although the two kids couldn't imagine why that might be the case.

"Come on," Kin said and together she and the two kids left the Squad Five barracks and made their way across the Seireitei toward the gate that bordered District One of the Rukongai. The trio passed through the gate and Kin led the way across District One toward a familiar spot. Shiro's eyes widened in surprise as he realized that Kin was taking them to the river.

_"So she knows about it too,"_ Shiro thought to himself as they settled down on the grass under the large tree.

"So what do you think about your mom's news Shiro-chan?" Kin asked once they had settled themselves on the ground.

"I think the look on my dad's face was priceless," Shiro said with a smirk, thinking back to Ichigo's stunned expression. "If things are like this after the new baby arrives having a younger sibling could turn out to be really entertaining."

Kasumi nodded. "And maybe with a sibling around you'll cause less trouble. You're going to have to be a role model Shiro-chan."

"Aw," Shiro said, his gaze shifting to his best friend. "Don't you think I'd make a good role model Kasumi?"

"I think your dad's going to be wearing the look that he had earlier a lot," Kasumi commented.

Kin laughed as she thought about what Ichigo was in for. Having two kids was definitely going to offer challenges to the Squad Five Captain and Kin couldn't help but wonder whether or not Ichigo was up to it.

"So Shiro-chan," Kasumi said, shoving her best friend playfully. "Do you want a little brother or a little sister?"

Shiro shrugged. "Doesn't really matter much to me either way. You're living proof that girls are just as easy to corrupt as boys."

"Toushirou," Kin said, staring at the young boy and shaking her head. "You aren't planning to put your sibling up to any mischief are you?"

Shiro smiled innocently, gazing at Kin with his big, blue-green eyes open wide in an innocent expression. "Would I do something like that?"

"Yes," both Kin and Kasumi replied in one voice.

Shiro smirked. "Not for the first few years at least. Can't really make any promises after that."

* * *

"Ichigo," Rukia said, having broken away from the crowd of well wishers and made her way over to the spot where her husband was standing. "I've been thinking. Do you think Shiro-chan will be okay with the new baby? I mean he knows that he's adopted and I don't want him to think that he's any less important to us because of the new baby."

"He'll be fine," Ichigo said in a confident voice. "We won't treat the new baby any different than we treat him and he'll never have cause to doubt our love."

Rukia's eyes widened as she listened to the words of her husband. Ichigo occasionally had moments of profound wisdom and this was definitely one of them. She wrapped her arms around his waist and once again placed her head on his chest. "I love you."

"I love you too Rukia," Ichigo said as he wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace. "And I'm really happy about the baby."

A/N- Congratulations to Ichigo and Rukia! I have a question that I would like some help with. What gender should the newest addition to the Kurosaki family be? The choices are boy, girl or twins, one each. If you have an opinion on the subject feel free to send me a PM. Your opinion matters. Hope you enjoyed this installment of the story and until next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	32. Shinigami 101

Disclaimer- Once again, I do not own bleach.

Chapter Thirty-Two - Shinigami 101

It was a bright, sunny day and Shiro and Kasumi were on their way to the park, along with their friend Heikichi. The three children had been hanging out at Shiro's house, not really doing anything but still having a good time, however his parents had to leave to go to Soul Society and Shiro had no desire to be stuck with Tomori as a baby-sitter. Therefore he'd told his mother that he and his friends were going to Kasumi's house and the three kids had departed.

"Shiro-chan," Kasumi spoke up as the trio neared the park. She gazed at her friend, a questioning expression in her blue eyes, having been thinking about their destination for awhile now. "Don't you think we should actually go to my house since that's where you told your parents we were going to be?"

Shiro shrugged, absently tossing the soccer ball that he carried into the air. "Not yet. We'll hang out in the park for a little while and then we'll go to your house. That way what I told Mom and Dad won't technically be a lie."

Heikichi smiled as he listened to his classmate's rationale, slightly impressed. "You're really good at finding loopholes Kurosaki."

"He should be," Kasumi said, rolling her eyes in her best friend's direction. "He gets enough practice."

Shiro chose not to comment on her accusation and merely smirked. By this time the three children had arrived at the park and as soon as they arrived Shiro dropped the soccer ball that he held in his hands and turned to face his friends. "How about a game?"

Heikichi raised an eyebrow. "And how exactly will that work out Kurosaki? There's three of us and since you're the resident genius of this group you really should know that three cannot be evenly divided by two."

"That's okay," Shiro said, placing one foot on top of the ball and using it to launch the ball into the air. "We can still play, me against the two of you."

As the young boy spoke the ball fell back to earth and Shiro used his head to knock it back up a couple of inches and to redirect it's course. Then, when the ball came down again, the young boy bounced it from knee to knee. Shiro's eyes were focused solidly on his friends and yet he still managed to keep complete control over the soccer ball that he was bouncing back and forth with his knees.

"Well," Heikichi said, eyeing the ball that Shiro was playing with. "I was going to say that two versus one isn't really fair but after seeing that little display with the ball just now I'm. . ."

"It's still not fair," Kasumi said, shaking her head and gazing over at her best friend. "Only you and I are the ones with the disadvantage."

Heikichi nodded as he watched Shiro knock the ball around with apparent ease. "I think you're probably right Kasumi."

"Come on guys," Shiro said, allowing the soccer ball to fall to the ground and once again placing his foot on top of it. "It'll be fun."

"Fun for who?" Heikichi asked.

Shiro smirked however the grin fell from his face as Kasumi suddenly rushed forward and kicked the ball from beneath his foot. The ball flew through the air a couple of feet and then fell to the ground, where it rolled across the grass.

Heikichi waited for the explosion as he gazed at the shocked expression on Shiro's face however instead of getting angry the young boy smiled broadly and dashed off after his friend. _"I guess the game is on,"_ Heikichi thought to himself as he raced off in the direction that his friends had taken.

"Better run faster Shiro-chan," Kasumi called out in a taunting tone as she kicked the ball across the park.

"Okay," Shiro said. The boy picked up the pace considerably and ran past Kasumi, capturing the soccer ball as he ran past.

"Hey!" Kasumi exclaimed, a smile on her face despite the angry sound of her voice.

"Catch me if you can," Shiro called out over his shoulder, chuckling softly to himself.

"Won't be a problem Shiro-chan," Kasumi called out from behind him, her laughter ringing through the air.

Shiro ran across the park, kicking the soccer ball that was rolling in front of him, while his friends pursued and attempted to steal the ball away from him. Heikichi managed to catch up to his young classmate and he attempted to kick the ball away however Shiro anticipated the move and maneuvered the ball away from the older boy. Heikichi growled in frustration and Shiro laughed at his frustration.

"You'll pay for that Kurosaki!" Heikichi shouted, holding up his fist in a threatening gesture.

"Yea, sure," Shiro said as he continued to run. "Uh huh, I bet."

* * *

The three kids played soccer for the better part of an hour and then Heikichi collapsed to the ground, fighting to catch his breath. Taking that as their cue to cease and desist with the game Shiro and Kasumi walked over to the tree under which Heikichi sat and joined him on the grass.

"Who. . . the hell. . . taught you to play. . . soccer Kurosaki?" Heikichi asked his friend as he fought to catch his breath. "You're brutal."

"My Aunt Karin is a really great soccer player," Shiro replied, a thoughtful expression in his blue-green eyes as he thought about the words that his friend had spoken. "And she's been teaching me since I was little. She says I'm a natural."

"Definitely," Heikichi said, still breathing hard.

"You're really out of shape," Shiro taunted his friend, gazing over at his classmate with an upraised eyebrow and a mocking expression in his blue-green eyes. "You should exercise more."

"Shut up Kurosaki!" Heikichi growled, his brown eyes narrowing as he gazed at Shiro in annoyance. "It's not my fault that you've spent your entire life fighting monsters while I've had a normal life. I didn't get weird until recently and I'm still nowhere near as weird as the two of you. I'm definitely the normal one in this group."

"Hear that Kasumi?" Shiro asked, turning to face his best friend. "Heikichi's the normal one."

"I've known all along that I'm not normal," Kasumi said with a serene smile. It didn't bother her in the slightest to be called weird. "Kinda goes hand in hand with the whole Quincy deal and as for you Shiro-chan, it doesn't take much to be more normal than you."

Shiro opened his mouth, fully prepared to snap at his friend for her comment, however he was interrupted as the trio watched a young boy, appearing to be around the age of seven or eight, run past them, a frantic expression on his face.

"What do you suppose is going on with him?" Heikichi asked, gazing around in search of whatever it was that the kid was running from.

That question was soon answered as a Hollow appeared as though from nowhere, running past them in the direction that the kid had been traveling. Now it was painfully obvious what had caused the boy to look so frightened and Shiro, Kasumi and Heikichi all jumped to their feet and ran after the Hollow. They caught up with the beast in the corner of the park, where it had the young boy cornered. The boy was leaning up against a tree, cowering in terror, his wide eyes focused on the Hollow. Shiro glanced toward the cowering boy and noticed the broken piece of chain that was attacked to his chest; the boy was dead and the Hollow was after his soul.

"Oh no you don't," Shiro muttered as he pulled his Gikongan from his pocket and used it to assume his Shinigami form. Once he'd emerged from his body Shiro quickly drew his zanpaktou and used it to slash the Hollow across the back, successfully gaining the beast's attention. The Hollow turned away from the soul and faced Shiro, a furious expression on it's face. Shiro smirked as the Hollow made it's way toward him. The creature didn't know what it was getting its self into and wouldn't live long enough to learn the error of it's ways. Using his flash-step Shiro dashed over to the Hollow and slashed it's mask in half with Hyourinmaru. The Hollow disintegrated as Shiro made his way toward the spot where his friends were standing.

"Great job Kurosaki," Heikichi said, offering his friend a smile.

"Thanks," Shiro said quietly as he turned his attention toward the young boy who was still cowering against a tree. Shiro walked slowly toward the soul, his sword still held in his hands. The boy's eyes widened in fright as Shiro approached him, wondering what terrors were about to be visited upon him by this new arrival. His body was visibly trembling as he eyed Shiro warily.

"What is he doing?" Heikichi said, his gaze shifting back and forth between Shiro and the frightened young boy. "He's scaring the life out of that poor kid. Why doesn't he sheath his sword?"

"You'll see," Kasumi said quietly, her gaze also focused on her best friend and the young soul.

When Shiro reached the spot where the boy was cowering he knelt down and stared into the boy's eyes, an understanding look in his blue-green eyes. "Listen kid, you can't hang around here or else that's guaranteed to happen again. There's nothing left for you in this world so it's time for you to move on."

This said Shiro raised the hilt of his sword.

"What are you doing Kurosaki?!" Heikichi exclaimed as he watched his friend raise his sword. He made a move to step toward Shiro and stop his friend from doing whatever was going through that warped little mind of his however he paused when he felt a gentle hand on his arm. Turning he saw a look of understanding in Kasumi's blue eyes.

"It's alright Heikichi," Kasumi said quietly, understanding the thoughts that were going through Heikichi's mind and seeking to offer him comfort. "That boy doesn't belong in this world and Shiro's going to help him get to the place where he belongs. Just watch."

The hilt of Hyourinmaru began to glow as Shiro held it up and then he gently pressed the butt of the sword to the young boy's forehead. The soul of the young boy began to glow and then slowly faded from sight. With a sigh Shiro sheathed his sword and then turned back to face his two friends.

"What was up with that Kurosaki?" Heikichi demanded as Shiro rejoined him and Kasumi. "What did you do to that boy?"

"It's called Konso," Shiro replied in a quiet voice after he returned to his physical body. "Shinigami perform Konso to send the souls of the departed to Soul Society. It's a large part of the job and since I can perform it even though I'm not really a Shinigami I thought that I'd help the kid out. No one should have to live in fear like that, it's horrible. He deserved to have some peace."

"Huh," Heikichi said. "Well that's nifty."

"Yea," Shiro said. "And here's another little Shinigami fun fact; when we battle Hollow we don't actually kill them. When a Hollow is killed with a zanpaktou their soul isn't destroyed. The soul is cleansed and allowed to move on to Soul Society."

"Hmm," Heikichi said, shaking his head and staring at his classmate. "It's like Shinigami 101. Is there going to be a test at the end of this?"

"Not a test," Shiro said, his narrowed gaze focused on his friend. "But maybe an experiment."

"What kind of experiment?" Heikichi asked, his wary gaze focused on the young white-haired boy. He didn't like the gleam that he saw in Shiro's eyes and knew that his classmate couldn't be planning anything good with a look like that.

"I've always wanted to find out what would happen if you performed Konso on a living person," Shiro said, an evil glint in his blue-green eyes. "And I think with you I may have finally found the perfect guinea pig."

"Oh no," Heikichi said, taking a few steps back away from his friend and shaking his head. "I don't think that I'd like being dead. Besides it would be kinda hard for you to explain that one to my parents."

"I think I could do it," Shiro said with a smirk, his voice filled with confidence.

"Well I don't think you're going to," Heikichi said, holding up his fist in a threatening manner.

Shiro arched a brow as he stared at the fist that his classmate was holding up in what was obviously supposed to be a threatening stance. "You're kidding, right?"

Kasumi stood beside her two friends, shaking her head at their antics. The two boys delighted in tormenting one another and all she could do was stand beside them and roll her eyes.

"Toushirou!"

The group of children turned toward the shout and they watched as a man dressed in black walked toward them, a furious expression on his face.

"Oh great," Shiro muttered, his narrowed gaze focused on Tomori. "I wonder what he wants."

Tomori walked up to the group of children, his glaring gaze focused solely on Shiro. The other delinquents that the boy was hanging out with were of no concern to him. "I knew that you couldn't be trusted. Toushirou, did you not tell your parents that you were going to the Ishida residence?"

"I did," Shiro said calmly, his icy gaze focused on the third seat officer of Squad Five. "And what I told Mom and Dad wasn't a lie. I have every intention of going there, just not right now."

Tomori was fully aware of the fact that, even if he ordered the young boy to go immediately to the Ishida residence, there was absolutely no chance that Shiro would obey him so he turned away from the group of children, a scowl on his face. "I'm sure Captain Kurosaki will be most interested in this." This said the Shinigami used his flash-step and disappeared, leaving a trio of stunned children behind in his wake.

Shiro growled low in his throat as he watched Tomori depart, clenching his hands into fists in an attempt to control his anger.

"You don't think he meant what he said do you Shiro-chan?" Kasumi asked, a concerned expression on her face. "Would he really tell your dad that we were here?"

"Oh yea," Shiro replied without hesitation. He knew without a doubt that Tomori was serious and probably on his way to relay the news as they spoke. "The man's a real jerk and he delights in making my life miserable. Come on, we should head to your house before someone else shows up to crash the party."

Kasumi and Heikichi both nodded.

"One of these days I swear I'm going to get even with him," Shiro muttered as he and his friends made their way toward Kasumi's house. "I don't know when but one day. . ."

"Alright Shiro-chan," Kasumi said in an attempt to calm her friend. "You probably shouldn't say things like that. It sounds premeditated."

"I plead insanity," Shiro said without missing a beat.

"I'd believe it," Heikichi said, grinning down at his friend. "Hey if you wait a few years I'll become a lawyer and get you off."

"Um probably not," Shiro said, rolling his eyes in the direction of the older boy. "Since if I really did do something to him then I'd have to face the consequences in Soul Society. Although if you really want to volunteer to defend me I can always kill you so that you can be a Shinigami too." A devilish glint appeared in the boy's blue-green eyes at this point. "That's not a bad idea actually, come to think of it."

"Never mind," Heikichi said hastily. "You'll just have to be on your own with this one Kurosaki."

Shiro laughed out loud, enjoying the expression that his comment had brought to his classmate's face.

* * *

After he left the three children in the park Tomori traveled to Soul Society and immediately traced the reiatsu of his captain and, once he'd located it, he used his flash-step to travel to the spot where Ichigo and Rukia were standing, along with Matsumoto, Hinamori, and Renji.

"Captain Kurosaki!" Tomori called out as he quickly walked up to his superior. He bowed to the group, all of which out ranked him, and then he turned his attention to Ichigo. "Sir, I just thought that you should know that Toushirou and his friends are at the park instead of the Ishida residence and that they've been fighting Hollow again."

"That's fine," Ichigo said in a voice that sounded almost bored, completely shocking his third seat officer. "Is there anything else?"

"N. . .no sir," Tomori stuttered, completely shocked by his captain's response. This was by no means what he'd expected to hear from his captain and he was at a loss for words.

"Okay then, you're dismissed." This said, Ichigo turned away from his third seat officer. He wanted to make it perfectly clear to the man that their discussion was finished.

Tomori bowed once more and departed, the meeting not having gone at all the way he'd anticipated. He'd thought for sure that Ichigo would be furious with his son and yet all he'd said was that's fine.

"Are you really okay with what he just told you Ichigo?" Rukia asked once Tomori was out of ear shot, her gaze shifting from the retreating form of their third seat officer and coming to rest on her husband.

"I'm a little irritated with the fact that he lied," Ichigo replied honestly. "But I'm more irritated with the fact that the third seat of my Squad felt the need to come all the way to Soul Society to tell me about it. Like he didn't have anything better to do. He really does have a major grudge against Shiro."

"That guy's just a jerk," Matsumoto spoke up, her eyes narrowing as she thought about the Shinigami whom she heartily disliked. "And he's always been that way."

"See what I mean Rukia?" Ichigo said, turning to his wife. Matsumoto's words validated what he'd been telling people for years and he wanted to make sure that Rukia had heard them. "It's not just me. No one likes him."

"I'm sure there must be someone out there who does," Rukia said. "I haven't met them but there has to be someone."

"I doubt it," Matsumoto said. Then she smiled at the group. "So what do you say to having a drink together before the two of you have to go back to the world of the living?"

Rukia turned to her husband. "What do you say Captain? Do you think your son can manage to stay out of trouble long enough for us to have a drink?"

"He'll be fine," Ichigo said. "Between the three of them those kids can pretty much take care of anything that might come up. And besides, I have Kaiya following them, just in case."

"You're kidding right?" Rukia asked, a shocked expression on her face. She couldn't believe what she'd just heard, it was almost unheard of for Ichigo to actually plan things out like that.

Ichigo shook his head. "No. I had a feeling that Shiro wasn't being entirely truthful when he told us that they were going to Kasumi's house so after they left I called Kaiya and told her to follow them, only revealing herself if something came up that they couldn't handle."

Rukia shook her head. It seemed that Ichigo was becoming slightly less protective of their son, trusting him to be able to take care of his own problems. Not that Ichigo didn't care about their son, it was just that he realized that Shiro could and would stand up for himself.

"Aww," she thought to herself with a smile. "My boys are growing up."

So, their decision made the five Shinigami made their way to a small restaurant that was located in the Seireitei and, once there, they chose a table next to the window. Ichigo and Rukia sat down side by side and Hinamori and Matsumoto sat down across from them, with Renji seated on the side that was directly facing the window. The five friends engaged in small talk for a little while however, once they had their drinks, the talk became serious.

Hinamori turned her gaze toward Ichigo and Rukia, the sadness in her eyes more evident than it had been in a long time. She had been thinking about something for quite some time but the news of Rukia's pregnancy had distracted her from that thought for a little while. However, once the elation over that news had subsided, her doubts had returned in full force. "What can you tell me about this friend of Shiro's?"

Rukia's eyes widened as she realized that Hinamori must have seen Heikichi on the day that Shiro had brought the boy to the Seireitei to train. She hadn't even thought of the possibility and was willing to bet that Head Captain Ukitake hadn't either. "Momo. . ."

"It's alright Momo," Ichigo said in a calming voice, focusing an understanding gaze on Hinamori. He knew what the woman was thinking and he wanted to do his best to put her mind at ease. "We were all pretty shocked when we first saw the boy however Heikichi merely looks like Aizen. He's actually one of the nicest kids that I've ever met."

"But he has powers," Hinamori said in a quiet voice.

"He does," Rukia said, nodding her head. "And Head Captain Ukitake told us that he's actually subconsciously using kidou."

"And Shiro-chan's friends with this boy?" Hinamori asked, her chocolate colored eyes wide in surprise.

Ichigo nodded. "The two of them are classmates and they have the same kind of relationship that Uryu and I have. It's kind of entertaining to watch actually."

Hinamori still seemed concerned however the conversation with Ichigo and Rukia had served to dissolve some of her doubts about the young boy that she had seen with Shiro. If her friends thought that the boy was alright then she would trust their judgment.

A/N- Hope you enjoyed this latest installment of Shiro's story. Special thanx to those who offered input about the new addition to the Kurosaki family and extra special thanx to CynricShadowInk who gave me some really awesome ideas. On a side note, if you're an Urahara/Yoruichi fan you should check out CynricShadowInk's story Rise From the Dusk, Bleeding Moon: Chaos Reigns. It is rated M so keep that in mind. Other than that, that's all from me for now. Until next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	33. Friend or Foe?

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach

Chapter Thirty-Three - Friend or Foe?

_"I can't believe my luck," _Shiro thought to himself as he made his way through the dense forest that bordered the park that he and his two best friends frequented. The young boy had managed to elude the member of Squad Five who was supposed to be keeping an eye on him and now had a rare moment completely to himself, which he was relishing.

Leaving Tomori in charge of their squad, which Shiro personally thought was a MAJOR mistake, Ichigo and Rukia had taken the day off to go out on a picnic together. One of the lower ranked officers in the squad had been left in charge of Shiro and the young boy hadn't had any problems ditching the man, not that he had trouble eluding most of his would be baby-sitters. Kaiya was the only one who could truly keep an eye on him and that was mostly because Shiro really liked and respected her.

_"Poor guy," _Shiro thought to himself as he walked down a barely visible trail, his thoughts focused on the Shinigami that he had eluded. _"He really isn't that bad, all things considered. I'll make it a point to go back before Mom and Dad get back so he doesn't get into trouble."_

Shiro was so absorbed in his thoughts that at first he didn't notice the fact that he was no longer alone in the forest. It became painfully obvious however as a flash of red soared through the trees and crashed to the ground mere inches from the spot where Shiro was standing.

"What the. . ." Shiro exclaimed as he jumped to the side and watched the ball of energy crash into the earth. Gazing around Shiro searched for signs of his attacker and at first he didn't believe what his senses were telling him.

"No," the young boy mumbled, shaking his head in disbelief. "It can't be."

A few minutes later it became impossible for Shiro to deny the truth as he watched a familiar figure step from behind a tree. "Heikichi!"

The older boy didn't speak as he stepped out into the path a few yards away from the spot where Shiro stood with an incredulous look on his face. Completely ignoring the shocked expression on his classmate's face Heikichi merely narrowed his eyes and held up his hands.

_"Not good," _Shiro thought to himself as he watched energy from around his classmate's hands. Heikichi was preparing for a second attack and Shiro was forced to focus all of his attention on dodging. A burst of red energy flew from Heikichi's hands and flew directly toward Shiro, who eyed the attack in shock.

"I can't believe he's doing this," Shiro muttered to himself as he dodged the second attack that Heikichi had launched in his direction. "And what is up with that attack? It looks eerily like Red Flame Cannon but that's. . ."

Shiro's thoughts were interrupted by yet another attack from his classmate, this one blue and white and strongly resembling Pale Fire Crash. "He's good," the young boy was forced to admit as he dodged this new attack, jumping to the side and watching as the burst of energy struck the ground right where he'd been standing.

The young, white-haired boy dodged a few more attacks and then he'd had enough. Growling low in his throat Shiro pulled his Gikongan from his pocket and used the dragon-headed device to assume his Shinigami form. Shiro turned back toward his physical body, "Run! Get somewhere safe as fast as you can."

"Right," the Gikongan said.

Shiro watched as the Gikongan fled as ordered, taking his body to a safe place. Then, once his physical body had dashed off into the forest, Shiro dashed toward Heikichi, drawing his sword as he did so. Now under normal circumstances Heikichi would have fled from this attack however this time the older boy merely watched Shiro's approach calmly.

At the last possible moment Heikichi summoned energy and created an energy sword out of nowhere, which he used to block the blow from Shiro's zanpaktou. Shiro gasped as he was knocked back by Heikichi and the young boy was forced to do a backflip, landing lightly on the ground a few feet away.

Shiro stood up straight and gazed over at his opponent in an appraising manner. Then he swung his zanpaktou in an arc over his head, calling out as he did so, "Reign over the frosted, frozen sky, Hyourinmaru!"

Heikichi calmly watched as a dragon comprised of ice and water flew from the tip of Shiro's zanpaktou. The older boy watched as the attack approached the spot where he stood and then he used his energy sword to knock the dragon off course.

"Unreal," Shiro muttered. Heikichi had never been able to block that attack and Shiro couldn't understand where this new found power of his had came from. "What is wrong with you?" he called out, his wide-eyed gaze focused on his classmate.

"I told you that I'd get even with you Toushirou," the older boy replied in a low voice, speaking for the first time since he'd arrived in the forest.

Shiro's eyes widened at the sound of that voice, so much colder than the one that he was used to.

_"Well Toushirou it seems you made it in time to save your friends but tell me, who did you abandon so that you could come after them?"_

_Matsumoto's face briefly flashed before his eyes before he banished the thought. "Aizen, this time I swear you're going to die."_

Shiro dropped to the ground, completely taken over and overwhelmed by the vision, more intense than the visions that he was used to.

"Kurosaki!" The energy sword vanished as Heikichi ran toward the spot where Shiro was kneeling on the ground, grasping his head as though he were suffering tremendous pain. The coldness had left the boy's voice and now he sounded like his usual, soft spoken self. "I'm sorry Kurosaki, I didn't mean to. . ."

At the sound of Heikichi's voice Shiro briefly opened his eyes and as he focused a bleary eyed gaze on his classmate he gasped, "Aizen!"

"Huh?" Heikichi asked as he watched Shiro's eyes roll back in his head. The younger boy sighed deeply and then slumped to the ground, completely unconscious. "Oh no," Heikichi gasped, staring at Shiro in horror. "I've killed him. That's not good, I only meant to scare him."

Heikichi frantically attempted to awaken Shiro however his efforts proved fruitless. After about ten minutes he gave up and pulled Shiro into his arms, thinking as he did so that it was a good thing his classmate was so scrawny or else this would be exceedingly difficult. Cradling his unconscious friend in his arms Heikichi slowly made his way out of the forest and across Karakura Town to the Kurosaki residense.

The trip to Shiro's house was slow however Heikichi finally made it and as he walked up to the door he was met by a strange Shinigami whom he did not know. The black clad man gasped as his gaze fell upon the unconscious young boy that Heikichi held in his arms. "What happened?" he asked as he rushed over to Heikichi's side and pulled Shiro from the boy's grip.

"I'm not exactly sure," Heikichi replied as he relinquished his hold on Shiro. "We were in the forest, fighting, and then Shiro got this really strange look in his eyes and collapsed. He briefly woke up and when he did he called me Aizen. Then he collapsed again."

"I see," the Shinigami said, nodding his head in understanding. "I'll call Captain Kurosaki and inform him of what has happened. I think you should stay here until they return, they may wish to speak with you."

"Okay," Heikichi said, nodding his head in agreement. Then he turned a concerned gaze back to Shiro, whom the unknown Shinigami held in his arms. "Is Toushirou going to be okay?"

"He should be fine," the Shinigami replied. "He just needs to rest."

The Squad Five officer led the way into the house and motioned for Heikichi to wait in the den. Heikichi complied with the Shinigami's unspoken request and made his way into the den while the officer carried Shiro up to his bedroom and placed him in bed. "I'm sorry Toushirou, I should never have allowed you out of my sight."

This said the Squad Five officer left the young boy's room, closing the door quietly behind him. He made his way down the hall to the Captain's office where he could use his communicator without fear of being overheard and contacted Captain Kurosaki, informing him briefly of what happened. He left out the little detail about Shiro calling his classmate Aizen, he'd allow Heikichi to tell Ichigo that particular part.

With a sigh the Shinigami made his way back downstairs to the den where Heikichi was waiting for his return. He made his way across the slightly darkened room and sat down in a chair across from the sofa where Heikichi was sitting. "My name is Juichi Egami and I'm the sixth seat officer of Squad Five."

"Heikichi Yamino," the young boy said as he gazed over at Juichi. "And I'm Toushirou's classmate."

"Oh I already know who you are," Juichi said in a quiet voice, knowing even more about the boy than he knew about himself. "Thank you for bringing Toushirou home."

"You're welcome," Heikichi said, thinking to himself that he'd really had no choice in the matter since the whole thing had been his fault in the first place.

Juichi and Heikichi sat in silence, each absorbed in their own thoughts, although the thoughts of both centered on the young boy who lay sleeping upstairs. Then, about fifteen minutes later, they heard the sound of the door opening. Both glanced up and watched as Ichigo stode into the room, a strange expression on his face.

"Captain," Juichi said, getting quickly to his feet. "Where's. . ."

Ichigo's eyes went to the ceiling. "She went upstairs to check on Shiro." Then Ichigo's gaze shifted to the young boy who was seated on the sofa. "Tell me what happened Heikichi."

"I'm sorry Kurosaki-san," Heikichi said in a small voice, his downcast gaze focused on the hands that he held clasped in his lap. He made it a point not to look Shiro's father in the eyes as he explained what had taken place in the forest. He felt extremely guilty over what had happened, although he hadn't harmed Shiro on purpose. "It was all my fault. Toushirou was walking through the forest and I sensed his reiatsu and decided to surprise him. I've been practising my powers and I wanted to show him that I'm not a weakling so I. . . I kind of attacked him. I didn't mean anything by it but Toushirou got this really strange look in his eyes and then he just collapsed."

Ichigo stared at Heikichi, sensing that there was something that the young boy wasn't telling him. "What else?"

Heikichi took a deep breath. "Toushirou woke up briefly and when he looked at me he called me Aizen. I have no idea who that is nor why he called me that but he had a really freaked out look in his eyes when he said it."

"It's okay Heikichi," Ichigo said, his gaze softening. "It wasn't your fault. Thank you for bringing Shiro home."

"You're welcome sir," Heikichi said softly.

"You should go home Heikichi," Ichigo said. "We'll take good care of Shiro and he won't wake up for hours so there's really no reason for you to hang around."

Heikichi opened his mouth to protest the order to leave however he changed his mind before the words came out of his mouth. "Yes sir," he said, getting to his feet. Heikichi walked across the den and a few minutes later Ichigo and Juichi heard the sound of the front door opening and then, seconds later, closing. Once the young boy was gone Ichigo turned to his subordinate.

"Please forgive me Captain," Juichi said, bowing. "I lost track of Toushirou and. . ."

Ichigo held up his hands, immediately silencing his subordinate. "Idiot. Like I'd actually blame you for the fact that Shiro ran off. He does it to everyone, well everyone except Kaiya, so stop beating yourself up over it. And wipe that look off your face, he's going to be just fine. You got that?"

"Yes Captain," Juichi said.

"And stop calling me captain," Ichigo said. "I've told you about a hundred times that we're not big on formality around here."

"Sorry sir," Juichi said. "I'll try to keep that in mind."

Ichigo sighed at the sir comment but chose to ignore it. "You're dismissed Juichi."

Juichi bowed to his superior and then left the room.

Once his subordinate had left Ichigo made his way upstairs to his son's bedroom. Opening the door quietly he peered into the semi-darkness of the room and saw his wife sitting on the edge of their son's bed. She was gazing down at the child with that familiar, worried look in her eyes and running her hand through his snow white hair. "Rukia," Ichigo called out softly from the doorway.

Rukia turned to gaze at her husband.

"There's something we need to talk about," Ichigo said in a quiet voice, even though he knew that there was no possible way that the sound of his voice would awaken Shiro.

Rukia nodded and, after one last look at her son, she got to her feet and made her way across the room to the spot where her husband stood. Ichigo wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders and together they made their way down the hall to the small office that they shared.

"You should sit down," Ichigo told her as he pulled her desk chair around for her.

"What's wrong Ichigo?" Rukia asked as she took the seat that he offered her.

Ichigo positioned his own chair so that it was facing her and then he sat down and gazed into her eyes. "Shiro briefly regained consciousness while he was with Heikichi and when he did he called the boy Aizen."

Rukia gasped. "You don't think. . ."

Ichigo shook his head. "No. I don't think that Shiro realizes who Heikichi used to be, more than likely he was still partially under the affects of Hitsugaya's memory. Hopefully when he wakes up he won't remember anything that happened."

"But what if he does Ichigo?" Rukia asked. "What do we do then?"

"If it comes to that then we'll worry about it then," Ichigo said. "You're stressed enough as it is without adding to that burden by worrying about something we have no control over."

"You're right," Rukia said.

__________________________________________________________________________________

As Shiro's eyes opened and his vision adjusted to the darkness the first thought that came to his mind was the fact that he'd been attacked by his friend and a single name came into his thoughts, Aizen. Shiro vaguely remembered Urahara telling him about the traitor Sousuke Aizen but he knew very little about the man who had betrayed Soul Society. The young boy didn't know why this name popped into his mind however he shrugged it off and clenched his fists in anger when he realized that he must have passed out in the forest after Heikichi attacked him.

"Heikichi!" the boy thought to himself as he sat up in bed and quickly got to his feet. "What the heck was he doing? I swear I'm gonna. . ."

At that moment Shiro heard the sound of the door opening and the boy shifted his gaze in the direction of the sound and saw the sillouette of his mother in the light of the open door. "Hey Mom," he called out softly, knowing that she had came to his room to check on him.

"Shiro-chan," Rukia said as she walked into the room, flipping on the light as she passed. "You're awake."

"Yea," Shiro said in a slightly dejected tone of voice.

"What's the matter Shiro-chan?" Rukia asked, picking up on the slight tone of sadness that was contained in her son's voice.

"Heikichi," Shiro said in a soft voice, after a moment's hesitation. "He. . ."

"Heikichi is still your friend Toushirou," Rukia said, realizing what her son was thinking. "He attacked you in the forest to prove to you that he could use his powers however when you collapsed he's the one who brought you home."

"Really?" Shiro asked.

Rukia nodded.

"Hmm," Shiro said thoughtfully. Then he clenched his hands into fists. "He's going to pay for that."

Rukia chuckled softly to herself. Her son was back to normal and best of all he didn't seem to remember anything about his vision or the fact that he'd called Heikichi by the name of Aizen. For this simple fact the mother in Rukia was grateful beyond measure.

__________________________________________________________________________________

As Shiro made his way toward Kasumi's house his thoughts went back to the previous day, when Heikichi had attacked him in the forest. At first he'd been worried that Heikichi had changed however after Rukia's assurance that his friend was still the same person that he'd always been Shiro's concern had turned to annoyance. How dare Heikichi attack him?

"And after everything I've done for him," Shiro thought to himself indignantly. Okay it was true that he'd caused his friend a fair amount of grief in the relatively short time that they'd known one another however he'd also gone out of his way to teach Heikichi to use his powers, even going so far as to take the older boy to Soul Society.

"Good morning Shiro-chan," Kasumi called out brightly as she fell into step beside her best friend.

"Hey," Shiro muttered, still preoccupied by his thoughts.

"What's up with you?" Kasumi asked, eyeing her friend in concern.

"Heikichi," Shiro said. "He took a joke a little too far yesterday and now I'm trying to think of a way to get back at him."

"Toushirou," Kasumi said in a reproachful tone of voice. "Can't you just let it go?"

"No," Shiro replied without hesitation. He was determined to get back at Heikichi for the events of yesterday, he just hadn't figured out exactly how to get his revenge. But he would, of that he was sure.

"Kurosaki!" a voice called out as Shiro and Kasumi entered the school grounds and walked across the courtyard to the building.

Shiro turned his gaze in the direction of the voice and saw none other than Heikichi. The young boy's mind flashed to a man who resembled his classmate however Shiro shook his head and banished the vision. He narrowed his eyes and glared at Heikichi, who wore a concerned expression on his face.

"Are you feeling alright Kurosaki?" Heikichi asked, recalling the way his friend had looked the previous day when he'd collapsed.

"I'm fine," Shiro said shortly.

"Look," Heikichi said, picking up on the anger that was in the voice of his classmate. "About yesterday, I'm really sorry. I only meant to scare you and prove that I can use my powers. I had no idea that you'd. . . you know I'm still not entirely sure what happened to you out there."

"Don't worry about it," Shiro said, having no intention of telling Heikichi about the visions. That knowledge was on a need to know basis and Heikichi didn't need to know. "And I'm going to get even with you for that little stunt you pulled, mark my words."

"Alright," Heikichi said, realizing that the threat was Shiro's messed up way of saying 'I forgive you.'

"Boys," Kasumi thought to herself, rolling her eyes.

A/N- and thus ends another chapter of Shiro's story. Hope you enjoyed this one, feel free to review and let me know what you thought. Until next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	34. Visions and Shiro's Decision

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach

Chapter Thirty-Four - Visions. . . and Shiro's Decision

In a rare moment of good behavior Shiro had came directly home from school and, having nothing better to do, the young boy deposited his school books in his bedroom and then made his way back downstairs and outside. It was a pleasant day and Shiro had brought a book outside to read however he found himself completely unable to focus on the words that were written upon it's pages.

_"They say he's a genius but I'll believe that when I see it. I mean seriously have you seen that kid? He's puny." The other students weren't aware that he was standing there, as they all had a tendency to overlook him, and he heard every word that they said._

Shiro was sitting out in the backyard, staring off into space and completely lost in thought, and as a result of this fact the young boy didn't notice his dad walking across the yard toward him.

"Oi Toushirou!"

Dropping the book that he'd been holding and staring at but yet not reading Shiro jumped slightly as his dad's voice invaded his thoughts and he felt the momentary urge to yell at the man for calling him Toushirou. The urge passed quickly however and Shiro merely glared at his dad in annoyance, his blue-green eyes narrowed in displeasure.

Ichigo grinned at his son, completely ignoring the look of annoyance that the boy wore on his face. Shiro gave him that particular look quite frequently and it didn't even begin to bother him. "A little jumpy today aren't you Toushirou?"

"What do you expect when you sneak up on me like that?" Shiro said grumpily, once again ignoring the urge to yell at his dad for the use of his full name. He had no idea why this fact bothered him and he shrugged it off. The boy picked his book up from the ground and, resisting the urge to throw it at his dad's head, brushed the dust from it.

Ichigo shrugged his shoulders, seemingly unaware of the irritation that he had caused his son. "Sorry to interrupt your daydreaming Toushirou but we're going to Soul Society so come on."

Shiro arched an eyebrow. "And why exactly are we going to Soul Society this time?"

"We're going to Soul Society because your mother and I have some business that we have to take care of and everyone in Squad Five is out on assignment right now so there's no one to keep an eye on you while we go," Ichigo replied.

"Dad," Shiro said, rolling his eyes. He felt indignant over the fact that his parents thought that he still needed a baby-sitter. He was perfectly capable of taking care of himself and could fight Hollow better than most of the members of Squad Five. "I don't need a baby-sitter. I'm ten years old. I think I can take care of myself."

"I think not," Ichigo said, gazing intently at his young son. It was true that the boy was an exceptionally skilled fighter however Shiro was unable to resist the urge to cause trouble on most days and thus Ichigo didn't trust him enough to leave him alone. "You can't manage to keep out of trouble for any real length of time so you're going with us. End of discussion."

"Fine," Shiro snapped, getting to his feet. The young boy fell into step behind his dad and Ichigo led the way into the house and down to the basement. Rukia was already standing in front of the Senkaimon and she smiled as she watched as Ichigo and Shiro walked down the stairs.

"There you guys are," Rukia said as her two boys came to a stop beside her.

"Unfortunately," Shiro muttered under his breath.

Rukia's gaze shifted so that it was focused solely on her son however she didn't comment on his obvious irritation over the situation. Reactions like this were typical when Shiro was forced to go somewhere and, judging by the sour expression on the young boy's face, Rukia guessed that Ichigo had informed Shiro that he had to accompany them to Soul Society because they couldn't find anyone to look after him. Shiro absolutely hated being treated like a child, even though he was one.

"Come on," Rukia said, placing her hand on the Senkaimon and activating the portal to Soul Society. "This shouldn't take long. We'll be back home in no time."

_"Famous last words," _Shiro thought to himself as he reluctantly followed his parents through the gate. _"We'll be there for hours just because she said that."_

Rukia led the way through the Senkaimon and once the small family emerged inside the Seireitei she led the way, not to Squad One as Shiro had been expecting, but to the campus of the Shinigami Academy. Shiro had spent some time there, about four months to be exact, before graduating in record time. The young boy tilted his head to one side quizzically as his mother came to a stop in the middle of the courtyard. _"I wonder why we're here?" _he thought to himself in confusion.

Students were emerging from the building so it was obvious that class had ended for the day however as far as he was aware his parents didn't know anyone who currently attended the Academy so this didn't serve to remedy his confusion.

"Shiro-chan!"

Shiro would know that voice anywhere and he glanced up and watched as Momo Hinamori bounded toward the spot where he and his parents stood. Then, when she reached them, she threw her arms around Shiro and pulled him into a fierce hug. This action only served to further Shiro's confusion; although she'd always been affectionate toward him he'd never seen Hinamori this happy in the entire time that he'd known her.

_"Can you believe it? I made it into the Shinigami Academy!" The same exhilerated expression was on her face as she smiled at him, happiness practically radiating from her small body._

"Toushirou!"

Shiro gazed up into his dad's face. "What?"

"Never mind," Ichigo said, shaking his head at his young son. "Come on, we're going to Momo's house."

Now Shiro was way beyond confused. His dad had told him that he and Rukia had business to attend to in Soul Society and yet they were going to Hinamori's house. What possible business could they take care of there? _"These people are so weird," _the boy thought to himself as he followed Hinamori and his parents across the Seireitei to the small house where Hinamori lived with her husband, the Squad Thirteen Captain Shuhei Hisagi.

Hinamori led the way into the small sitting room and gestured toward the sofa. Ichigo, Rukia and Shiro all sat down and gazed expectantly up at Hinamori who offered them all a smile. "Let me just get us all a snack. Wait right here and I'll be back in just a second."

This said Hinamori turned and left the room.

_"What's up with her?" _Shiro thought to himself as his gaze followed Hinamori out of the room. She was practically giddy, that was the only word to describe it, and Shiro had never seen her like this. Something good must have happened but he couldn't imagine what it could be to elicit this kind of response from her.

A few minutes passed and then Hinamori rejoined her guests in the sitting room. Shiro's gaze shifted once more to Hinamori and he couldn't help the smile that formed as his eyes fell upon the tray that she held in her hands.

"I thought you'd like that Shiro-chan," Hinamori said with a smile as she offered Shiro a large slice of watermelon.

_Sitting on the front porch of a small house, eating watermelon. His gaze shifted to his companion, who was annoying him, as usual._

Shiro shook his head and slowly took a bite of watermelon, wondering what was up with this sudden onslaught of visions. The visions themselves weren't what confused him, he'd been plagued with them since he was eight, however they'd never came at this frequency before.

"So what was it that you wanted to tell us Momo?" Rukia asked as she and Ichigo both accepted slices of watermelon from the beaming Hinamori.

"I've already told Shuhei," Hinamori began as she sat down in a chair that was positioned opposite the sofa and focused her gaze on the Kurosaki family. "But I wanted you guys to be the next to know since I think of you as my family. Shuhei and I are going to have a baby!"

"That's wonderful Momo!" Rukia exclaimed, happy beyond words for her friend. She jumped to her feet and gave Hinamori a hug, all the while being careful not to rub watermelon on the other woman's back. Hinamori hadn't been the same since the day that she'd watched her best friend die in her place at the end of the Winter War although she had eventually recovered from her depression and now seemed quite happy with her life with Shuhei. "Congratulations."

"Thank you," Hinamori said in a quiet voice, still smiling that radiant smile. "Now we can raise our little ones together."

Rukia nodded, thinking that her baby should be born about a month before Hinamori's. It would be nice for the new baby to have a playmate around it's own age.

Ichigo and Shiro both offered Hinamori a smile although they refrained from emotional outbursts.

"I'm so happy," Hinamori said as she and Rukia sat back down. "Happier even than the day Shuhei proposed. I don't think I've been this happy since before the war. . ." Hinamori's voice trailed off at this point and her gaze shifted to Shiro, concern in her eyes.

Ichigo and Rukia gazed down at the boy as well although Shiro seemed not to notice the attention. The boy's eyes held a glazed over appearance, which was familiar to all three adults.

_"I have to get there before that stupid fool gets herself killed." He rushed to the scene as fast as he could, determined to save his friend from herself, and as he arrived his gaze fell upon the traitor and then quickly shifted to the two women who were standing only a few feet away. Good, it wasn't too late._

"Toushirou!"

The young boy fell to the floor, making absolutely no move to prevent or even to break his fall. Ichigo was immediately at his son's side and he gently rolled Shiro over onto his back and shook the young boy in an attempt to rouse him. A few minutes passed and then Shiro's eyes slowly opened and he gazed up at his dad. "Sorry," he mumbled as he pulled himself to a sitting position, hating the concerned expressions that his parents both wore.

"You don't have anything to apologize for Shiro-chan," Rukia said quickly as she pulled her son into a comforting embrace, desperately wanting to take this pain away from him.

Shiro pulled away from his mother and, without a word to any of the adults, got to his feet and left the room.

Rukia stared after her son in concern however she made no move to stop or to follow him. The boy was confused and upset by the vision and he needed time to process those feelings. Hinamori knelt beside Rukia and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I'm sorry Rukia."

"It wasn't your fault Momo," Rukia said in a quiet voice, offering Hinamori a small smile. "I don't think what you said caused the vision. He's been having them more frequently lately. I'm so worried about him but I don't know what I can do."

After leaving the room Shiro made his way out to the small front porch and sat down with a sigh. When he'd awoken from the vision he'd been lying on the ground and had been forced to stare up into the worried faces of his parents. Shiro balled his hands into fists as this thought tormented him. He hated seeing their anguish and it was worse because he knew that he was the cause of it.

_"Why does this happen to me?" _the boy thought to himself angrily. _"Why can't I stop it?"_

With each thought Shiro clamped his hands into tighter fists and when he finally unclenched them he could clearly see the imprint of his fingernails in the flesh of his palms. "I'm tired of seeing them like that," Shiro muttered as he stared down at his hands. "I have to find a way to stop the visions and if I can't stop them I have to at least hide them from Mom and Dad."

That was it, the simplest way to keep his parents from having to worry about him. He'd just hide from them the fact that the visions continued. He was getting better about not losing consciousness after every one of the visions and he thought that it was definately possible. It would by no means be easy however he was determined to hide it from his parents.

"They'll be happier if they don't know," Shiro thought to himself in determination.

As he thought about how best to keep his secret, about whether or not he should tell his parents that the visions had ceased or else just not mention them anymore, he felt the approaching darkness. The young boy shook his head furiously in an attempt to fight it off, determined not to lose consciousness this time. That would have to be the first step in his plan, learning to fight the blackouts that always proceeded the most severe of his episodes.

"I Will Not lose consciousness," Shiro snapped to himself, determined.

"Are you feeling alright Shiro-chan?"

Shiro was jarred from his thoughts by the voice and he gazed over his shoulder and saw that his mom was standing behind him. "I'm fine," Shiro replied, averting his gaze from her face so that he wouldn't have to see the concern that she held in her eyes. "I just needed some fresh air."

Rukia nodded. "Okay. I just wanted to check on you. I'll be inside if you need anything."

Shiro nodded and then listened as his mom went back inside the house. He shook his head as he recalled the worry in her eyes and it only served to strengthen his resolve.

"Is he okay Rukia?" Hinamori asked, as Rukia rejoined her and Ichigo in the sitting room.

Rukia nodded although the expression on her face was less than convincing. "He's just sitting on the porch staring off into the distance but he told me that he was okay. He said he just needed some fresh air."

Rukia sat back down on the sofa beside Ichigo, who immediately gripped her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze.

"I'm sure Shiro-chan will be okay," Hinamori said in what she hoped was a reassuring voice. "He's strong."

Ichigo and Rukia both nodded. They knew that their son was strong, both mentally and physically, however they also knew that everyone, no matter how strong they might be, had their breaking point. All they could hope was that the problem was resolved before Shiro reached his.

"I'm sorry Momo," Rukia said after awhile, breaking the silence that had descended upon the room. "I didn't mean to make you sad on what's supposed to be a happy day."

Hinamori instantly sprang from her chair and sat down on the sofa beside Rukia. She picked up Rukia's other hand, the one Ichigo wasn't holding, and gazed into her eyes. "Listen to me, if it weren't for you then I wouldn't even be here so feel free to tell me anything. I'm here for you Rukia."

Rukia nodded. "Thanks Momo."

Once Shiro was sure that he wasn't going to lose consciousness the young boy thought about his decision to find a solution for the visions. He was now more convinced than ever that the visions were the memories of a past incarnation and based on the fact that they involved people that he knew in the present, and more to the point Shinigami, Shiro was fairly certain that he'd been a Shinigami in his past life. That would explain why he had visions of his friends and family, as well as why he had powers in the first place.

_"All I have to do is find out who it was," _Shiro thought to himself, getting to his feet. _"I'll just go to the library and do a little research."_

With this decision Shiro turned to go back in the house, to tell his parents that he was leaving, however after only a few steps he paused. The boy thought about what he was going to do and promptly decided that he would have to lie to his parents about where he was going. They wouldn't believe that he wanted to go to the library here in Soul Society just for the fun of it so he decided that a lie would be unavoidable.

_"I'll just tell them that I'm going to Squad Ten," _Shiro thought to himself, deciding that it would be the most believable story. After all he and Ran-san spent a lot of time together so his parents wouldn't think twice about the fact that he wanted to go there.

With this thought in mind Shiro continued into the house and when he re-entered the sitting room his gaze went immediately to his parents. "Mom, Dad. . ."

"What is it Shiro-chan?" Rukia asked, her gaze focused on her son.

"Is it okay if I go and visit Ran-san for a little while?" Shiro asked, hating the fact that he was lying to his parents and yet at the same time realizing that it was necessary. He couldn't let them find out about the research that he was planning to do.

Rukia held a thoughtful expression on her face for a few minutes, debating the boy's request, and then she nodded her head. "It's fine with me Shiro-chan but come back here in about an hour."

"Right," Shiro said with a nod. Then he turned and left the room.

"I can't believe he's still conscious," Ichigo commented as the three adults watched the young boy depart. "He usually collapses after those visions."

"I'm kinda shocked as well," Rukia said in a quiet voice.

Once Shiro had left Hinamori's house he quickly made his way across the Seireitei to the library and once inside he located the portion of the building that housed the records. Now strictly speaking the place was off limits to anyone who wasn't a Shinigami however the guards knew Shiro and they allowed him access. Sometimes it was good to have connections.

"Thank you," Shiro muttered as he stepped inside the huge room. The young boy's gaze shifted around the room as he took in the vast number of books. "This is going to take forever."

* * *

Shiro spent the next hour searching through the records however, not really knowing what he was looking for, it wasn't surprising that the boy didn't have any luck with his search. He wasn't discouraged however and even as he left to return to Hinamori's house Shiro was already making plans for more research. The young boy was determined to find out the secret of the visions.

_"I'm going to get to the bottom of this," _Shiro thought to himself. _"Even if I have to do it by myself."_

A/N- and thus ends yet another chapter of Shiro's story. Congratulations to Shuhei and Momo, they're going to have a baby too. Hmm, I wonder who it'll take after? Oh well, we'll come to that later. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to review and let me know what you thought. Until next time, this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	35. The War Within

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach.

Chapter Thirty-Five - The War Within

It was early morning and Shiro and Kasumi were on their way to school when Shiro suddenly stopped walking, clutched the sides of his head with both hands and dropped to his knees. By this time Kasumi had seen this happen to her friend several times and was no longer freaked out by it. She simply knelt by her friend's side and rubbed his back in a comforting manner, speaking comforting words to the young boy as she waited for the visions to pass. She was aware of the fact that all she could do in this situation was to offer him comfort until he was able to come back to himself however she was determined to remain by his side and to do what she could for him.

"It's okay Shiro-chan."

A few minutes passed and then Shiro slowly began to come back to himself. He removed his hands from the sides of his head and rubbed his eyes with the backs of them. Then he gazed over into Kasumi's concerned face.

"Are you alright Shiro-chan?"

Shiro nodded, shaking his head in an attempt to clear his vision. Then, once his vision had cleared somewhat, Shiro attempted to get to his feet however the young boy found that his center of balance was off and he staggered and almost fell.

"Whoa!" Kasumi exclaimed, grabbing his arm and preventing him from falling in a heap on the ground. "Careful Shiro-chan." As she continued to support the vast majority of his weight Kasumi stared at her friend in an appraising sort of way for a few minutes. "I think we should go back home. You don't look so good."

"I'm fine," Shiro said, pulling his arm free from her grip. "And if we don't hurry up we're going to be late for school."

"But Shiro you know what happens after these episodes," Kasumi said, concern for her friend evident in both her gaze and her tone of voice. "And you know that it happens every time. I really think we should go back to your house. I'm sure if we explain to your mom what happened she'll write us an excuse for school."

"No," Shiro said, shaking his head. He had made the decision not to tell his parents that he was still having the visions and he intended to stick with this decision no matter the consequences. He couldn't bare to see their concerned expressions anymore, he was tormented by the sight of their anguish. "It doesn't happen every time, just most of the time. Sometimes I get short visions without blacking out. Maybe it'll be okay this time. And I'm not telling them that this happened. "

"But Toushirou. . ."

"No," Shiro repeated, his tone serious. "This is my problem and I'm dealing with it. Now come on before we're late for school. I know how you feel about that, having gotten in trouble over it more than once."

Kasumi still didn't look convinced however she fell into step beside her best friend, choosing not to argue with him further. She'd known Shiro long enough to know that even if she persisted with the argument it wouldn't do any good so she decided to forgo wasting her time and just go along with him.

The two kids made it to school with barely a second to spare and they only had time to mutter a hasty good-bye before they parted ways and dashed off to their respective classes. Shiro paused for a moment after he and Kasumi parted ways and leaned up against the railing on the stairs. He was on the verge of losing consciousness, which happened to him at the end of nearly all of his episodes, however he was determined to fight it this time. If he collapsed at school then they'd call his parents, who would then find out that he was still having the visions which was what he wanted to avoid at all costs.

"Kurosaki."

Shiro jumped at the sound of his name and as he turned he saw one of his former teachers approaching him.

"Are you alright Kurosaki-kun?" the teacher asked, a concerned expression appearing on her face as she gazed down at the young boy. "Your face is as white as your hair."

"I'm fine," Shiro lied, forcing a smile onto his face as he released his grip on the stairs and stood up straight. He attempted to ignore the quiver in his legs as he gazed up at the teacher. "I just had to stop and catch my breath. I was running a little late today."

The teacher didn't look entirely convinced by Shiro's words however she offered the young boy a smile. "Well you'd better get to class Kurosaki-kun or you'll be late."

Shiro nodded and, taking a couple of deep breaths, made his way up the stairs to the third floor, where his homeroom was located. The boy made it without a second to spare, sliding into his desk just as the final bell sounded.

"Running late today Kurosaki?" Heikichi whispered.

"Something like that," Shiro muttered under his breath as Yoshida-sensei stood up to do the role call.

Shiro propped his head up with one hand and stared blankly ahead, only half way paying attention to what his teacher was saying. This fact, in and of itself, wasn't all that unusual for Shiro; he only half paid attention in class most days but today he was finding it impossible to focus.

"Kurosaki!"

Shiro snapped out of his daze and glanced up at Yoshida-sensei, who was standing beside his desk and gazing down at him with a stern expression on his face.

"Am I boring you Kurosaki?"

The little voice inside Shiro's head was screaming, 'don't say what you're thinking, don't say what you're thinking' however the boy paid no heed. He gazed up at his teacher with a strange look in his blue-green eyes and, without a moment's hesitation, replied, "Most days."

Yoshida-sensei gasped in surprise. Sure the kid was prone to space out in class however Shiro had never behaved in such a manner in class before and he was shocked. "Kurosaki I need to speak with you for a minute, out in the hallway."

"Fine," Shiro muttered, getting quickly to his feet. However the movement was too quick and as soon as he stood up Shiro became dizzy, lost his balance, and almost fell. The boy was forced to grab the corner of his desk, to keep himself from falling in a heap on the floor, and Yoshida-sensei gazed down at him with a look of concern evident in his eyes.

"Are you. . ."

"I'm fine," Shiro said quickly, interrupting his teacher's question. "Let's just go."

And with that Shiro walked across the classroom, slid the door open and stepped out into the hallway. He was joined a moment later by his teacher, who still wore a shocked expression on his face. "Kurosaki-kun, is there something going on that you'd like to talk about? Trouble at home maybe?"

"No."

"Now Toushirou-kun," Shiro picked up on the change from his last name to his first. "I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong."

Shiro actually laughed at that statement, although it was a hollow laughter. "There's no help for me."

Yoshida-sensei placed a hand on Shiro's shoulder. "Come on Toushirou-kun, you can tell me. I promise it'll stay between the two of us."

Shiro took a step backward, forcing his teacher to release the grip he had on his shoulder. "I don't think so."

Yoshida-sensei continued to stare down at his young student, a thoughtful expression on his face. He'd been concerned about the boy since the beginning of the year. Since Shiro was so much younger than his classmates Yoshida-sensei had been concerned about how the boy would adjust. Making a decision he pulled a pen and a small pad of paper from his shirt pocket. Yoshida-sensei quickly scribbled something on the top most paper, tore it from the pad, and handed it to Shiro. "You're excused from class Toushirou-kun. Take this downstairs to Harada-sensei."

Shiro rolled his eyes and stared up at his teacher in disdain. "I don't need to talk to the counselor."

"You need to speak to someone," Yoshida-sensei insisted. "And since you won't tell me what's bothering you this is the only option I have left."

"Whatever," Shiro said with a shrug, inwardly thinking that if he told them what was wrong then he'd be locked in a padded room and they'd all be going to counseling. Shiro turned and walked away from his teacher, shaking his head as he did so. _"This is so stupid."_

Clutching the note in his hand Shiro made his way downstairs to the counselor's office, which was located on the first floor. When he arrived the boy knocked lightly on the door, half hoping that no one would hear him and then he could just skip class for the remainder of the day.

"Come in."

_"Dammit!"_

Shiro slid the door open and stepped inside. Harada-sensei glanced up from her paperwork as Shiro stepped inside the office and she offered the young boy a kind smile. "Hello Toushirou-kun," she said in a kind voice. "Come in."

Shiro walked across the room and offered Harada-sensei the note that his homeroom teacher had given him. The counselor gazed down at the piece of paper for a few minutes and then her gaze shifted back to the young boy who was standing in front of her desk. She gestured toward one of the chairs that were positioned in front of her desk. "Have a seat."

Shiro sat down, although he wasn't happy about it, and stared down at his hands, which he held clasped in his lap.

"So Toushirou-kun," Harada-sensei said in a soft voice. "Is there anything you'd like to tell me?"

Shiro's gaze shifted to the counselor and the boy did nothing to hide his annoyance at the situation. "Just that this is pointless."

"Come on," the counselor said, her gaze focused intently on Shiro. It was as though she were trying to look through the boy and find the conflict within and Shiro decided immediately that he hated that look. "There must be something on your mind that caused you to act like that in class."

"No there really isn't," Shiro maintained, trying his best to keep the annoyance in his voice down to a minimum.

"No problems at home?" Harada-sensei persisted.

Shiro smirked at that question. He had a ton of problems at home, most of which centered around his dad and none of which she'd believe even if he chose to tell her about them. This was one of those times when honesty really wasn't the best policy.

Misinterpreting Shiro's reaction and thinking that she'd stumbled upon the problem the counselor persisted. "Are you and your parents not getting along Toushirou-kun?"

Growling low in his throat Shiro said, in an irritated tone, "There is nothing wrong. Why can't you people understand that?"

Harada-sensei smiled at him with an infuriating look on her face. "I can tell that this is upsetting you Toushirou-kun but trust me, you'll feel better if you tell someone about it. And if you're worried that I'm going to tell someone else, don't be. Whatever you say to me will remain strictly between us."

For a split second Shiro actually debated telling her that he saw visions of someone else's life, just to see the look on her face, but he ultimately decided against that course of action. He chose instead to simply stare at her with an emotionless gaze.

Harada-sensei opened her mouth to say something else but she was interrupted by the lunch bell. "Toushirou-kun, after lunch break I want you to come back to my office okay?"

"Whatever," Shiro said as he got to his feet. Shiro quickly left the counselor's office and made his way out to the courtyard and over to the tree where he and Kasumi always met. The boy sat down underneath the tree, to wait for Kasumi, and as soon as he did so his vision began to blur once again. He growled low in his throat as he shook his head in an attempt to fight off the approaching darkness and clear his vision. He was determined that he would not lose consciousness.

"Shiro-chan, how did you get out here so fast?"

Shiro glanced up and watched as Kasumi walked across the courtyard toward him. The young girl sat down beside her best friend and gazed over at him with a questioning look in her eyes.

"I beat you out here because I was already on the first floor," Shiro told her softly.

"Why?" Kasumi wanted to know.

"Because I spent the morning in the counselor's office," Shiro said, fighting to keep the irritation out of his voice but not really succeeding. A chill seemed to appear in the air as Shiro thought back to the way in which he had spent the morning.

"Toushirou!" Kasumi exclaimed, her eyes widening as she gazed at her friend. "What did you do?"

"Spaced out in class," Shiro told her. "Which would have been okay if, when Yoshida-sensei asked if he were boring me I hadn't replied, most days."

Kasumi gasped. "Why did you say something like that Toushirou?"

Shiro shrugged, inwardly thinking that he'd said it because it had been the first thing that had popped into his mind and also because it was the truth. "You know that filter between your brain and your mouth that tells you when you're not supposed to say something? Well apparently I don't have that."

"I told you that we should have gone back to your house," Kasumi said.

"Oh shut up," Shiro snapped.

"So did the counselor get all of your problems sorted out Shiro-chan?" Kasumi asked, fighting hard to keep the smile off of her face.

"Hardly," Shiro said, rolling his eyes and blowing out a frustrated breath. "I have to go back to Harada-sensei's office after lunch."

"I guess next time you'll listen to me."

"No probably not," Shiro said truthfully.

Kasumi glanced over at her friend and noticed that he didn't have his lunch bag or any of his other possessions. "Aren't you going to eat anything Shiro-chan?" she asked as she pulled her own lunch from her messenger bag.

Shiro shook his head. "No. I don't have much of an appetite today."

"You should eat something anyway Toushirou," Kasumi said, gazing over at her friend with a concerned look on her face. "You're going to make yourself sick."

"No."

"Fine then, be that way," Kasumi said, exasperated by her friend's stubbornness. Giving up on her best friend, Kasumi pulled out her lunch and Shiro leaned his head back against the tree and closed his eyes.

"Don't even think about it Toushirou," Kasumi said sharply.

"I'm not doing anything," Shiro muttered, not even bothering to open his eyes.

"I'm just saying," Kasumi said. "If you lose consciousness then I'm taking you home."

"Whatever," Shiro muttered, thinking to himself that he'd like to see her try to carry him home.

Kasumi turned around and gazed at her best friend. "You need a nap or something Shiro-chan. You're grumpy."

Shiro blew out a frustrated breath but chose not to say what was running through his mind.

"Cheer up," Kasumi said, placing her hand on his shoulder. "The day's half over at least."

"Ugh."

* * *

When the bell signaling the end of the lunch period rang Kasumi got to her feet and stared down at Shiro, who still had his eyes closed. "Come on Shiro-chan."

"I don't wanna."

Kasumi reached down and grabbed Shiro by the arm. "Come on. If you don't go back then you'll just get yourself into even more trouble and you wouldn't want that." As she spoke Kasumi realized how absurd this argument sounded; Shiro had never been one to care about getting into trouble and there was no reason for that to change now.

"Do I have to?"

"Yes," Kasumi said, pulling on his arm.

"Fine."

Shiro allowed Kasumi to pull him to his feet and the two kids made their way across the courtyard toward the school building. Once inside the building they parted ways and Kasumi gave Shiro a warning look. "Please behave yourself Toushirou."

"Would I do anything bad?" Shiro asked, an innocent look on his face.

"Yes," Kasumi said without a moment's hesitation, not even remotely fooled by his feigned look of innocence. "Yes you would."

Shiro placed his hand over his heart. "Oh, that cut me deeply."

Kasumi rolled her eyes as she started up the stairs. "You'll get over it."

Shiro watched his friend climb the stairs until she was out of his sight and then he turned and, with a heavy sigh, made his way back to the counselor's office. When he reached the office Shiro knocked lightly on the door, not at all happy about the fact that he'd had to come back.

"Come in."

Shiro slid the door open and stepped back inside the office. Harada-sensei smiled at the boy as he walked across the office and sat down in front of her desk. "Do you feel better after lunch Toushirou-kun?"

"Loads better," Shiro replied, matching the sickeningly sweet tone of her voice perfectly.

"Wonderful," Harada-sensei said, apparently not picking up on the irritation and sarcasm in Shiro's voice. "So are you ready to talk to me now?"

"There is **NOTHING **to talk about," Shiro said, not even bothering to disguise the irritation in his voice when he spoke this time.

Harada-sensei sighed, gazing over at the young boy in an appraising kind of way, and Shiro glared back at her with a defiant look in his blue-green eyes.

"Well," Harada-sensei said after a five minute staring contest between her and the boy. She broke eye contact with the young boy and gazed down at some papers that were on her desk. "It's obvious to me that something's bothering you Toushirou-kun but if you won't tell me what it is then I can't help you."

"Does that mean I can go back to class?" Shiro asked hopefully. Even that boredom was better than this torture.

After a moment's thought the counselor nodded. "You're dismissed."

"Finally," Shiro muttered, jumping to his feet.

* * *

Shiro managed to make it through the remainder of the day, although it took everything that he had, and when the final bell sounded the young boy grabbed his things and quickly made his way out to the courtyard. This time Kasumi was waiting for Shiro out at the tree and she smiled at him as he walked up to her.

"Hey Shiro-chan," she said with a smile as her best friend came to a stop beside her. "Did you finish with your counseling?"

"Shut up," Shiro snapped, his earlier irritation returning in full force. "She's going to call my parents, I guarantee it."

Kasumi shook her head. "I told you that we should have gone home."

Shiro's eyes narrowed. "If you tell me I told you so one more time I swear I'm going to. . ."

As Shiro spoke a cold wind began to blow across the courtyard and Kasumi instantly got the feeling that she'd taken the joke a little too far this time. She shivered as the freezing air circulated around them. "Calm down Toushirou, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's not you," Shiro said, feeling guilty for taking out his frustrations on her. "And I didn't mean to be such a jerk, it's just. . ."

The chill wind ceased to blow and Kasumi smiled and took Shiro by the hand. "Come on Shiro-chan. Let's go home."

Shiro nodded and the two kids left the courtyard and made their way home. When they reached the Ishida residence Kasumi paused at the end of her driveway and gazed at Shiro with a concerned look on her face. "Are you going to be okay?"

Shiro nodded. "I'll be fine Kasumi. Don't worry about me."

Kasumi nodded although she didn't look entirely convinced. "Okay. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

"See ya," Shiro said.

After he and Kasumi parted ways Shiro slowed his pace considerably. He was so exhausted, both mentally and physically, that it was all he could do to keep his eyes open and yet he didn't want to go home. He knew for a fact that the school counselor had called, or was going to call, his parents and he wasn't looking forward to the conversation that call would prompt.

Shiro sighed. He'd made the decision not to tell his parents that he was still having the visions and he would stand by that decision no matter the consequences. Their reactions were getting progressively worse and Shiro didn't want to see the worry hidden in their eyes anymore. Therefore he was determined to work the problem out for himself.

_"This is my battle," _he thought to himself. _"And I'm going to win it."_

Shiro was still making his way slowly toward home when he felt a sudden gust of wind. This feeling was fairly familiar to the boy at this point in his life and he glanced over to his right hand side and saw that it was Kaiya who had joined him. _"I knew that wind was produced by a flash-step."_

"What are you doing here Kaiya?" Shiro asked as the Shinigami fell into step beside him.

"Your dad sent me to find you Shiro-chan," Kaiya replied, gazing down at the boy with a concerned look in her eyes. "You're running late today. Is everything okay?"

"I decided to take the scenic route today," Shiro told her, at the same time thinking to himself, _"And I should have concealed my reiatsu."_

"Well come on," Kaiya said. "I think your parents want to talk to you about something."

"Of course they do," Shiro muttered, more to himself than to Kaiya.

"What was that Shiro-chan?" Kaiya asked, having heard the young boy's mumbled words but now understood them.

"It's nothing," Shiro said in a quiet voice. "Don't worry about it."

Kaiya stared at the boy for a moment and then nodded. "Well come on. We should probably go."

Now that he had an escort Shiro was forced to pick up the pace and it wasn't long before he and Kaiya arrived at the Kurosaki residence. Groaning under his breath Shiro opened the door and he and Kaiya stepped inside the house.

"Is that you Shiro?" Rukia's voice called out from the den.

"Me and Kaiya," Shiro called back, instantly picking up on the fact that his mom hadn't called him Shiro-chan. The counselor must have called already. _"Yay," _the boy thought to himself dispassionately. _"This should be fun-filled beyond belief."_

"Good," Ichigo's voice joined the conversation. "Could the two of you come in here please?"

"Sure," Shiro said as Kaiya called out, "Yes Captain."

Together Shiro and Kaiya made their way down the hall to the den. Kaiya stepped inside the room first, followed a few steps behind by Shiro.

Ichigo and Rukia were sitting on the sofa together and they turned their attention first to Kaiya. "Was he causing any trouble when you found him Kaiya?"

Kaiya shook her head as Shiro groaned in the background. "No Captain, he just took the long way home from school."

Ichigo gazed at his fourth seat officer intently for a few minutes and then he nodded. "Thanks Kaiya, you're dismissed."

Kaiya nodded, bowed to her captain and then turned and left the room, offering Shiro an encouraging smile as she walked by him.

"Toushirou."

Shiro's gaze shifted from Kaiya's retreating back and came to a stop on his dad's face. Ichigo gestured toward the spot on the sofa between him and Rukia. "Have a seat."

Shiro sighed and sat down on the sofa between his parents, placing his school bag on the floor at his feet.

"Is there anything you'd like to tell us about school today?" Ichigo asked, gazing intently at his son.

Shiro held a thoughtful expression on his face for a few minutes and then shook his head. "No, not really."

"Toushirou. . ."

Shiro could hear the note of warning in his dad's voice and he gazed over at Ichigo. "Look let's stop with the pointless questions okay Dad? We all know that my school counselor already called so if you want to ask a question along that line feel free."

"Alright," Ichigo said, choosing to overlook his son's insolence for the moment. "So would you like to tell us exactly why you felt the need to act out in class?"

"It was boring and I spaced out," Shiro said with a shrug, deciding that instead of telling a lie it would be better for him if he just creatively avoided telling the truth, or at least the whole truth. It would mean more trouble for him however he was willing to accept that fact.

"Are you sure that's it?" Rukia asked, gazing over at her son with an expression that said plain as words that she didn't believe him.

"Yep," Shiro said.

Shiro could tell that his parents didn't believe him however he could also tell that they realized that they'd already gotten as much information out of him as they were going to get.

"So," Ichigo said, gazing over at his son with a stern expression on his face. "What's it going to take to keep your mind focused in class?"

"For the teacher to be less boring," Shiro replied without missing a beat.

Ichigo's gaze narrowed. "Toushirou. . ."

_"Oops," _Shiro thought to himself as his dad continued to glare at him. _"There's that brain, mouth filter thing again."_

"Toushirou I think you should go up to your room for awhile," Rukia said, sensing that a fight was about to break out between father and son and seeking to prevent it.

"That's a great idea," Shiro said, jumping to his feet. The boy grabbed his messenger bag off the floor, where he'd deposited it when he'd sat down, and quickly left the room.

As soon as the boy was out of sight Ichigo turned to his wife. "He's hiding something from us."

"I know," Rukia said, gazing over at Ichigo. "But it's not like we can force him to tell us what really happened. I know you're worried and I am too but hopefully this rebellious streak he's developed is just a phase."

Ichigo didn't look convinced. "Maybe."

After the interrogation, Shiro quickly made his way upstairs to his bedroom. The boy placed his school bag on his desk and then sat down on the edge of his bed, his head gripped in his hands. He'd just made his parents angry, he was fully aware of this fact, and yet he was determined to keep from them the fact that he was still having the visions. They'd be happier if they didn't know the truth, of that he was sure. This was his problem and he was more determined than ever to find a solution for it on his own.

_"I'm sorry,"_ he thought to himself as a vision of his parents' concerned faces appeared in his mind. _"But this is for the best."_

With a sigh Shiro fell back in bed and, as soon as his head hit the pillow, he lost consciousness.

* * *

A few hours passed, during which Rukia finished some paperwork and then prepared dinner, while Ichigo lounged around on the sofa and flipped through a magazine. Ichigo's gaze went immediately to his wife as he heard her reenter the den. "Should I go and inform your son that dinner's ready?"

Rukia shook her head. Judging by the fact that he'd called Shiro her son she could tell that Ichigo was still somewhat irritated with the boy and didn't think it wise for the two of them to be alone, without a referee. "No that's okay Ichigo. I'll tell him."

And with that Rukia left the den and made her way upstairs. When she arrived at her son's room she knocked lightly on the door. "Shiro-chan. . ."

There was no response from the boy and Rukia knocked again, slightly harder this time. "It's time for dinner Shiro."

Still no response. Slightly worried Rukia opened the door and stepped inside her son's room. As her eyes adjusted to the semi-darkness of the room she saw that Shiro was lying on his bed, curled up into a ball. Rukia quickly walked over to her son and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Shiro-chan. . ."

Normally that gentle touch would have been all that was necessary to awaken the boy and when he remained motionless Rukia knew immediately what was wrong. This was the after affect of one of the visions that Shiro had been afflicted with for the past year and a half, there was no other explanation for it.

After quickly checking her son's vital signs and finding them normal Rukia walked over to the boy's closet and pulled a spare blanket from the top shelf. Placing the blanket over her son's small form, Rukia carefully tucked the edges in around him. Then she quietly left the room.

Rukia made her way back downstairs to the den, where Ichigo was still lounging on the sofa. "Well I know what he was hiding from us now."

Ichigo sat up and gazed over at his wife. "What is it?"

"He must have had another vision at school today," Rukia replied, sitting down on the sofa beside her husband. "He's out cold and that's the only way I can explain it. What I don't get is why he would accept punishment for something that wasn't his fault rather than tell us what really happened at school today."

Ichigo shook his head. "He's obviously made the decision to hide the fact that he's still having the visions. He told us that they stopped, which they may have done for a little while, and when they came back he chose to hide that fact from us. For what reason I couldn't say but that's the only way to explain his actions."

"Ichigo. . ."

"I know," Ichigo said. "We'll wait and see what happens but if things get much worse then we'll tell him the truth about the visions, regardless of our orders."

Rukia nodded.

"Well I guess it's dinner for two tonight," Ichigo said with a grin, attempting to lighten the mood. "Since there won't be any waking your son for several hours."

Rukia smiled. "That means you'll be having left-overs tomorrow night."

"Dammit."

A/N- and thus ends yet another installment of Shiro's story and things are going from bad to worse for the little guy. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to review and let me know your thoughts. Feedback is greatly appreciated. Until the next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	36. To See His Smile

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach

Chapter Thirty-Six - To See His Smile

Kasumi Ishida had been thinking for awhile that her best friend needed a chance to forget about his problems with the memories of Captain Hitsugaya and the young girl racked her brain in an attempt to come up with something that would make her Shiro-chan smile the way he used to, before all of this began. Shiro had decided to stop telling his parents about the visions, in the hopes that they would think that he was no longer having them, and as a result of this decision the young boy had became even more stressed. Shiro spent more time alone and it was almost as though the young boy was becoming someone else, someone detached.

_"I just want to see his smile again," _Kasumi thought to herself as she walked across Karakura Town, lost in her thoughts of her best friend. She and Shiro had been friends since the age of three and Kasumi wanted the carefree, fun-loving Shiro back. Although she understood the reason for his personality change she couldn't stand to see her best friend suffering and desperately wanted to do something to cheer him up.

As she walked through a part of town that she didn't normally visit the young girl heard the racous laughter of children and her gaze shifted to an amusement park that her parents had often taken her to as a small child. _"I wonder. . . " _she thought to herself as she passed.

An idea forming in her mind Kasumi continued on her way and when she arrived home she immedietetly grabbed the cordless phone and quickly dialed a familiar number.

"Kurosaki residense."

"Rukia-san," Kasumi said as Shiro's mother answered the phone, recognizing her voice instantly.

"Hello Kasumi-chan," Rukia said in a kind voice. "Do you want to talk to Shiro?"

"He's home?" Kasumi asked.

"Yes."

"Is it okay if I come over Rukia-san?" Even though she'd been told more times than she could count that she was welcome at the Kurosaki home whenever she wished to come over Kasumi still felt the need to ask.

"Of course," was the reply from Shiro's mom. "You know you're welcome here anytime Kasumi-chan."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Guess I'll see you in a little while."

"Umm hmm," Kasumi said. "Bye."

Kasumi placed the phone back on the charger and then she left her house once more. The young girl quickly made her way to the home of her best friend and when she arrived she knocked lightly on the front door. The door opened a few minutes later to reveal Shiro's dad.

"Hey Kasumi," Ichigo said, holding the door open for her. "Shiro's out in the back yard."

"Thanks Ichigo-san," Kasumi said as she stepped inside the house.

Ichigo nodded as he closed the door behind his son's best friend and then the two of them parted ways. Ichigo went about his business while Kasumi made her way to the back door and stepped out into the fenced in back yard where her best friend was sitting on a swing that was positioned under a shade tree.

"Shiro-chan!" Kasumi called out as she walked toward him.

Jarred from his thoughts by the sound of his best friend's voice Shiro glanced up and watched as Kasumi walked across the yard toward him. When she reached him the young boy moved over on the swing in order to make room for her and, with a smile, Kasumi sat down beside him. The two children sat in silence for a few minutes, Shiro staring at the horizon and Kasumi staring at him.

"Are you okay Shiro-chan?" Kasumi asked after a few minutes. Shiro glanced up at the sound of his best friend's voice and Kasumi stared into his blue-green eyes.

Shiro nodded. "Yea. I was just thinking."

"You think too much," Kasumi stated. "If you're not careful you're going to turn into an old man before you're eleven."

Shiro scoffed at that statement from his best friend. "Somehow I seriously doubt that."

"I'm serious," Kasumi maintained her gaze intense. "You spend way to much time by yourself, lost in thought. It's not normal and it's not healthy. You should get out more and act your age for a change."

'Not normal," Shiro repeated, making sure that he'd heard her correctly. "You do realize who it is that you're talking to right? I see the memories of someone else, not to mention the small fact that I'm the son of a pair of Shinigami, and you're worried that I'm not normal because I think too much. There's something seriously wrong with that Kasumi."

Kasumi didn't say anything in response to Shiro's rant session and the two kids lapsed into silense, each lost in their own thoughts. Shiro, as always, was preoccupied with the visions while Kasumi's thoughts were filled with concern for her friend.

"Shiro-chan," she said finally, after about fifteen minutes of silense.

"What is it?" Shiro asked, turning his gaze toward his best friend once more.

Making her decision in that moment Kasumi got to her feet and held her hand out to him. "Come with me."

"Why?" Shiro asked warily, not accepting the hand that she held out to him. Instead he gazed up at his friend, confusion evident in his blue-green eyes.

Kasumi seized his hand and pulled him to his feet. "You'll see Shiro-chan. Just come on."

Unsure of what exactly she had planned, but slightly curious despite himself, Shiro allowed his best friend to lead him across the yard and inside the house. Then, once they were inside, Kasumi tracked down Shiro's mom, who was sitting in the den reading a book.

"Rukia-san," Kasumi called out as she pulled a reluctant Shiro into the den and over to the sofa where Rukia was seated.

Rukia glanced up from her book and eyed the two children. "Yes?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Kasumi said in an apologetic tone of voice. "But I wanted to see if it would be okay if Shiro and I went for a walk."

Rukia debated the request for a few minutes, a thoughtful expression in her violet eyes, and then she nodded. "It's fine with me. Just be careful."

"We will," Kasumi assured her friend's mom, offering the woman a smile. "Thank you so much. Come on Shiro-chan."

Rukia smiled as she watched Kasumi pull a reluctant Shiro from the room and then she went back to reading her book, the soft smile still on her face.

"A walk," Shiro said as Kasumi dragged him across town. "And where exactly is it that we're walking to Kasumi?"

"You'll see," was all that Kasumi would tell him.

Shiro couldn't deny the fact that he was frustrated with Kasumi's refusal to tell him where they were going however he fully realized that his friend wouldn't tell him until she was ready. Knowing this all the young boy could do was follow his friend.

Kasumi led the way to the amusement park that she had passed earlier in the day and when they arrived she stopped in front of the front entrance. Shiro's gaze swept the area and then shifted to the face of his best friend. "An amusement park?" he asked, one eyebrow raised. "You can't possibly be serious."

"And what's wrong with an amusement park?" Kasumi demanded, staring at her friend.

"I haven't been to an amusement park since I was five," Shiro pointed out, as though that fact alone validated his desire not to be there.

"I know," Kasumi said, thinking that her friend was just too mature for a boy of ten. "And that's the problem. You need to have some fun once in awhile."

"I don't think so," Shiro said in a slightly annoyed tone of voice.

The boy turned to walk away however he stopped immedietely when he felt a hand grasp his upper arm. Shiro turned back to Kasumi and saw his friend staring at him with a pleading look in her blue eyes.

"Please Shiro-chan," Kasumi begged, still gripping Shiro's arm and preventing him from just walking away. She was determined to see the old Shiro, whether he wanted to cooperate or not. "I'll pay for everything so what do you have to lose?"

Shiro wanted to refuse but Kasumi was begging and he couldn't bring himself to tell her no. There was just something about those huge blue eyes that always made him do things with her, whether he wanted to or not. "Fine," Shiro said with a defeated sigh. He knew when he was fighting a losing battle and decided that it would be easier for him if he just gave up and went along with her.

A smile lit up Kasumi's face and she took Shiro by the hand. "It'll be fun Shiro-chan. You'll see."

"Uh huh," Shiro said, not sounding the least bit enthusiastic.

Kasumi led her friend around the amusement park, forcing him to go on various rides with her. The boy stopped grumbling after the first ten minutes however he still didn't seem to be having fun.

_"This isn't working," _Kasumi thought to herself as she pulled Shiro along. _"What can I. . ." _Kasumi paused mid thought as her gaze fell upon a roller coaster. Shiro had told her that he hadn't been to an amusement park since the age of five and given height requirements Kasumi surmised that he'd most likely never ridden one before. "Come on Shiro-chan."

Shiro allowed Kasumi to pull him over to the roller coaster and he watched as she bought the two of them tickets for the ride. "You'll like this Shiro-chan," Kasumi said as the two kids waited in line for their turn.

Shiro merely shrugged.

Kasumi didn't further argue her case with her best friend however she was convinced that Shiro would enoy this particular ride.

When it was their turn Kasumi once again took Shiro by the hand and lead him toward the roller coaster. Shiro didn't protest however he still didn't look happy about the situation. The two kids took the two seats at the very back of the coaster and adjusted the safety harnesses. Then they waited.

After about five minutes the ride began to slowly lurch forward and then the coaster made it's way up the first incline. Shiro stared straight ahead however Kasumi kept her eyes glued to her best friend so that she could judge his reaction to the ride.

This worked until the ride began to pick up speed however at that point Kasumi was forced to turn her head forward so that she didn't suffer an unfortunate spinal cord injury. She'd forgotten how fast this particular coaster was and decided that she'd have to wait until the end of the ride to see whether or not Shiro had enjoyed the ride.

When the ride came to an end Shiro and Kasumi got out and made their way back to the spot where they'd started out. Kasumi glanced at her friend as they passed by the ticket counter and she saw that their was a small grin on his face. "It was fun wasn't it Shiro-chan?" Kasumi said, a smile appearing on her face. "Come on, admit it."

Shiro hesitated for a minute and then he nodded ever so slightly.

"Would you like to go again?" Kasumi asked.

Shiro hesitated once again and then he nodded.

"Great!" Kasumi exclaimed as she dashed over to purchase two more tickets. The young girl quickly purchased the tickets and then she made her way back to the shot where Shiro was standing. She handed him one of the tickets and then she took him by the hand. "Let's go Shiro-chan."

Shiro nodded and followed Kasumi back to the line for the roller coaster.

The two children rode the roller coaster once more and this time as they emerged from the ride Shiro turned and offered his best friend a broad smile that, unlike most of his attempts, reached all the way to his blue-green eyes. "That was awesome!"

"I told you so," Kasumi said as the two of them walked side by side. "Maybe one of these days you'll learn to listen to me."

"Yea," Shiro said with a smirk. "Don't hold your breath."

"Come on," Kasumi said with a wide smile. "Let's go and have some more fun."

Shiro nodded and allowed Kasumi to lead him across the amusement park. The two kids walked for a little while and then Kasumi stopped and pointed. "We can ride that."

Shiro looked in the direction that Kasumi was pointing.

Having suggested it as a joke Kasumi fully expected for Shiro to refuse however her best friend merely nodded. _"I can't believe he's actually willing to ride the carousel with me."_

The sun was low in the sky as Kasumi led the way across the amusement park but as they passed by a row of games a large stuffed dog caught her eye. She paused briefly, looking at the dog rather wistfully, and then she started walking again however Shiro grabbed her hand and pulled her to a stop.

"You want that don't you Kasumi?" Shiro asked, gazing at his friend.

"It's cute," Kasumi said in a quiet voice. "But all of those games are rigged so it's pointless."

"Let's see about that," Shiro said, pulling her over to the booth. He pulled some money from his pocket and was then handed a pair of tennis balls by the attendant of the game. Shiro picked up one of the tennis balls and locked his gaze on the target that he would have to hit in order to win the prize that Kasumi wanted.

"Shiro-chan. . ."

Shiro pulled his arm back and threw the ball, striking the target dead center and causing lights and buzzers to go off around them.

"Congratulations," the attendant called out. "Pick your prize."

Shiro pointed toward the dog that had caught Kasumi's eye and when the man handed it to him he immedietely turned and offered it to Kasumi, a crooked little smile on his face. Kasumi accepted the stuffed animal from him and buried her face in it's soft fur. Then she turned and threw her arms around Shiro. "Thank you so much Shiro-chan!"

Shiro shrugged off her words and fixed her with an intense look. "No Kasumi, thank you. Thanks for being worried about me."

Kasumi smiled. "Come on Shiro-chan, I think it's time for us to go home."

Shiro nodded and together the two children left the amusement park and made their way across town toward Kasumi's house. They walked in silense but it wasn't the uncomfortable silence that Kasumi had became accustomed to when walking with her friend in recent weeks. It was merely a companionable silence with each of them reflecting on the trip.

When they reached Kasumi's house the young girl once again gave Shiro a hug. "Thanks for the dog Shiro-chan."

"You're welcome," Shiro said in a quiet voice. "And I just want to tell you that I had fun. We should do it again some time, my treat."

Kasumi nodded and the two kids parted ways. Once her best friend had disappeared from sight Kasumi turned and made her way toward the front door of her house. She opened the door and stepped inside, the furry dog still clutched in her arms.

"Kasumi-chan," Orihime said as her daughter entered the den.

"Hey Mom," Kasumi said, sitting down on the sofa beside her mother.

"You look happy," Orihime said, noticing the smile on her daughter's face. "Where have you been?"

"Shiro and I went to an amusement park," Kasumi said, holding up the dog. "Look what Shiro-chan won for me. Isn't it cute?"

Orihime nodded. "You actually convinced Shiro-kun to go to an amusement park?"

"I didn't really give him much choice," Kasumi admitted. "I didn't tell him where we were going until we actually got there. After that all I had to do was give him the puppy dog face and he couldn't say no. Works every time."

"You shouldn't do that to your best friend Kasumi-chan," Orihime said.

"I know," Kasumi admitted. "But he's been so depressed lately and I wanted to do something to cheer him up."

"I understand," Orihime said.

"Well I'm going upstairs to my room," Kasumi said, getting to her feet.

Orihime nodded and watched as her daughter left the room.

Kasumi went upstairs to her room and, once inside, she placed the dog that Shiro had won for her on her bed. The trip to the amusement park had been fun and she had once again gotten to see a side of Shiro that rarely appeared anymore. Gazing at the stuffed dog she immediately decided that it was priceless.

A/N- Short little piece of fluff. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Feel free to review and let me know what you thought. Come on guys, review and show some love. Please. Until the next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	37. Near the Breaking Point

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach

A/N- Thanx to all the people who have reviewed this fic, you guys are great. Thanx for all of your support.

Chapter Thirty-Seven - Near the Breaking Point

Ichigo and Rukia had been out in Karakura Town, on patrol, and they were exhausted when they finally made it back home. There had been an unusual amount of Hollow prowling around the town and both the Squad Five Captain and vice-captain had been forced to work over time to destroy them. Opening the door, Ichigo motioned for Rukia to enter the house first and then he followed, closing the door behind them.

"It's good to be back home," Rukia said as she and Ichigo entered the den.

"I know what you. . ." Ichigo's words trailed off as his eyes adjusted to the semi-darkness of the den and he saw that the room was completely trashed. "What the hell. . . " It was at that moment that his gaze fell upon his son, who was lying face down on the floor of the room. "Toushirou!"

Both Ichigo and Rukia hurriedly crossed the small distance that separated them from their son and dropped to their knees at his side. Ichigo gently rolled the child over onto his back and gazed down at him. Shiro's blue-green eyes were wide open however they had a glazed over appearance and they were fixed and staring straight ahead.

"Toushirou!" Ichigo called out, gently shaking the child in an attempt to rouse him.

No response.

"Ichigo," Rukia said, her voice filled with the concern that she felt for her son. Her eyes were focused on her son and she knew without a doubt that this wasn't some minor thing. "There's something seriously wrong with him. What should we do?"

Ichigo scooped Shiro up into his arms and carried him over to the couch. Placing his son down gently, Ichigo turned back to his wife. "You stay here with him while I go upstairs and call Dad. With any luck he'll be able to tell us what's wrong with him."

Rukia nodded and sat down on the floor beside her son.

Ichigo dashed upstairs and grabbed the phone that was on the night stand. He quickly dialed the number for his dad's clinic and then listened as the phone rang, silently urging his dad to hurry up and pick up the phone. Then, after a couple of rings, a voice came over the phone, "Hello?"

"Dad, it's Ichigo. I have a problem and I really need your help."

Isshin instantly picked up on the worried tone in his son's voice and he dispensed with his usual taunting. "What is it Ichigo?"

"Rukia and I came home a few minutes ago and we found our house trashed and Shiro lying face down on the floor. He's completely unresponsive and we have no idea what's wrong with him."

"I'll be right there."

With that the line went dead.

Ichigo placed the phone back in its place and then raced back down the stairs, taking the steps three at a time. He quickly entered the den and walked over to the spot where Rukia knelt at their son's side. "Any change?"

Rukia shook her head. "No. I've been talking to him but he doesn't show any sign that he hears me, he just continues to stare straight ahead. I don't know what to do."

"Dad's on his way," Ichigo told her in a reassuring tone, placing a comforting hand on his wife's shoulder. "Maybe he'll be able to shed some light on the problem."

"I hope so."

About ten minutes passed and then the two concerned parents heard the sound of the doorbell. "I've got it," Ichigo said, running from the room. Seconds later he returned, followed by Isshin who was carrying a black bag with him. Isshin hurried across the room and dropped to his knees at his grandson's side, placing his bag on the floor beside him. Rukia quickly got to her feet and stepped back to stand beside Ichigo, so that Isshin would have more room.

"Toushirou," Isshin called out sharply.

The boy remained unresponsive; he didn't so much as bat an eyelash.

Isshin picked up the young boy's hand and placed his first two fingers to the inside of Shiro's wrist. The boy's pulse rate was normal. Next Isshin grabbed the stethoscope that was draped around his neck and checked his grandson's heartbeat and breath sounds, both of which were normal. Pulling a small flashlight from his bag, Isshin shined the light first in Shiro's right eye and then his left. Neither were affected by the light; they both remained completely fixed.

Rukia and Ichigo watched from a few feet away as Isshin examined their son and then they gazed at him expectantly as he got to his feet and turned to face them. Their faces fell however as Isshin shook his head. "Shiro's vital signs are all completely normal. The only thing that's off is the fact that his pupils didn't react to the light which could mean a number of things but there's nothing I can find that explains why he's unresponsive."

"So what are we supposed to do?" Ichigo asked.

"Maybe if you take him to the hospital they'll be able to find some explanation for Shiro's condition," Isshin said, packing his stethoscope and other supplies back in his bag. "They can run tests on him there that I can't do, even at the clinic. If you want I'll come with you and we'll see what they have to say."

Ichigo and Rukia glanced over at one another briefly and then Ichigo nodded. It wasn't as though they had any other options. Ichigo gently scooped his young son up into his arms and together the small family traveled the distance to the nearest hospital where Shiro was quickly admitted and the tests began.

* * *

Ichigo, Rukia and Isshin were sitting out in the waiting room, where they'd been for several hours, when a doctor came out to talk to them. The child's worried parents and grandfather immediately got to their feet and turned toward the doctor expectantly.

"We've run every test we can think of and to be completely honest with you we have no idea what's causing this," the doctor told them, shaking his head. "We can't find anything physically wrong with your son. Does Toushirou have any mental problems that we should be aware of?"

Ichigo glared at the doctor. "No."

"Calm down Kurosaki-san," the doctor said, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. "I was merely trying to find an alternative explanation for why Toushirou refuses to respond to anything. If we don't find out what's causing it then we have no way to treat it."

"So basically what you're telling us is that you can't do anything for him," Ichigo said, barely managing to control his anger.

"Well. . ."

"Dad can you help me get Shiro dressed?" Ichigo asked, turning to face his father. "We're leaving."

Isshin nodded and the two of them started back toward the room where Shiro was.

"Now wait a minute," the doctor said quickly, gazing back and forth between Ichigo and Isshin. "I don't think that's such a good idea."

Ichigo turned to face the man, a look of warning in his brown eyes. "What harm could it do? You just got through telling us that there's nothing wrong with him. If there's nothing wrong with him then there's no reason for us to stay here."

And without another word Ichigo and Isshin walked down the hall to the treatment room where Shiro lay. A few minutes later they returned and Ichigo now held his son in his arms. "Come on Rukia. I can only think of one other person who may be able to help us."

Rukia knew exactly who her husband was referring to and she nodded her head in agreement.

Ichigo led the way back to the house that he shared with his wife and son and that's where they parted ways with Isshin. "I have to get back to the clinic but give me a call as soon as you know what's going on with him okay?"

Ichigo nodded and he, Rukia and Shiro entered the house. The small family made their way down to the basement and, since her husband had his hands full, Rukia used her reiatsu to activate the Senkaimon. The gate glowed blue for a moment and then the portal to Soul Society opened. Traveling quickly through the tunnel that connected the world of the living with Soul Society, Ichigo and Rukia soon arrived in the Seireitei with their son. As soon as they arrived the two worried parents quickly made their way to Squad Four, where they were hoping someone might be able to shed some light on Shiro's mysterious illness.

When they arrived at the Squad Four barracks Rukia knocked on the door, which was soon opened by the Squad Four fourth seat, Hanataro Yamada. "Hello Rukia-san."

Rukia nodded at Hanataro and said, "Is Captain Unohana around?"

Hanataro glanced at the child that Ichigo held in his arms and nodded. "She's in her office."

"Thank you," Rukia said as she and Ichigo hurried down the hallway. When they reached the office Rukia knocked on the door, a little harder than she'd intended to however it seemed to get the message across. A voice called out from inside, "Enter."

Rukia slid the office door open and then allowed Ichigo to enter the room before her. Following him inside she closed the door and then came to stand beside her husband and son. Captain Unohana glanced up from her paperwork and her eyes widened as her gaze fell upon the child that Ichigo held in his arms. "What happened?"

"We don't know," Rukia replied. "We came home from patrol and found him lying face down on the floor. His eyes were open but he wouldn't respond to anything. We have no idea what could possibly be causing this and the doctors in the world of the living couldn't find anything physically wrong with him so that's why we brought him here. We were hoping you might be able to help us."

Captain Unohana got to her feet and walked around to the front of her desk. "Bring him and come with me."

Ichigo nodded and he and Rukia both fell into step behind Captain Unohana. The Squad Four Captain led the way down the hall to a small room which had a bed in the center. She motioned toward the bed and Ichigo obediently placed his son down upon it.

"Please wait outside," Captain Unohana said quietly as she leaned over Shiro.

Rukia was reluctant to leave her son however Ichigo placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and she nodded and followed him from the room. Ichigo and Rukia left the small room and made their way out into the hallway, where they sat down to await Captain Unohana's return.

Ichigo and Rukia were still sitting in the hallway when Renji and Isane walked past on their way down the hall to Isane's office. As they came closer to the couple Renji glanced down at his childhood friend and his former rival, a questioning look in his eyes. "What are you guys doing here?"

"There's something wrong with Shiro," Rukia replied. "He's completely unresponsive."

Renji shook his head. "Your kid's sick and again you bring him to Soul Society?"

Ichigo glared at Renji. "We took him to a normal doctor, in the world of the living, first. They couldn't find anything physically wrong with him so we decided that this was our last option."

"Oh," Renji said, picking up on the concern in Ichigo's voice.

"Is he going to be okay?" Isane asked, a concerned expression on her face.

"We don't know," Rukia said, her voice breaking. "Captain Unohana's with him right now but we don't know anything other than that."

Isane turned to Renji. "You stay here. I'm going to go and see if Captain Unohana needs my help."

Renji nodded and watched as Isane hurried down the hallway. As soon as his wife disappeared around a corner Renji sat down beside Rukia to wait and he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Rukia placed her hand on top of Renji's, appreciating his attempt to comfort her.

A couple of hours passed before Captain Unohana and Isane reappeared in the hallway where Rukia, Ichigo and Renji were waiting however as soon as they did the trio jumped to their feet and gazed over at the two Squad Four officers expectantly.

Captain Unohana shook her head, a baffled expression on her face. "I'm sorry Rukia, Ichigo, but I can't find any explanation for his illness."

Tears appeared immediately in Rukia's eyes. Ichigo wrapped his arm around her and held her, at the same time gazing over at Captain Unohana. "Is there any change?"

Captain Unohana shook her head. "I'm afraid not. Nothing I tried managed to bring him out of his trance. He's still completely unresponsive. Would you and Rukia like to go back and see him? Maybe your presence will help to snap him out of it."

Ichigo nodded and he and Rukia followed Captain Unohana back down the hall to the room where their son lay. A couple of bags of fluid now hung on a rack above the young boy's head, connected to tubes that were in his right arm.

"Shiro. . ."

"It's okay Rukia," Captain Unohana said in a comforting voice. "The IVs are just to keep him hydrated, that's all."

Rukia nodded as she walked across the room and sat down beside her son. Placing her hand on her son's forehead she gently brushed back the stray lock of white hair that had once again fallen over Shiro's left eye. "Shiro-chan, it's Mom. Can you hear me kiddo?"

Shiro remained motionless and his blue-green eyes continued to stare straight ahead.

Ichigo walked over to his son's bedside and placed a comforting hand on his wife's shoulder. Turning to face Captain Unohana he asked, "Should we take him home?"

Captain Unohana shook her head. "Even though I couldn't find anything wrong with him I think it would be in Toushirou's best interest to stay here at Squad Four. At least until he snaps out of this, just to be on the safe side."

Ichigo nodded and gazed down at his wife. "What do you think Rukia?"

Rukia nodded, continuing to stroke her son's soft hair.

"Don't worry Rukia," Captain Unohana said in a comforting voice. "I'm sure he'll come to soon. Until then we'll take good care of him."

"Thank you Captain Unohana," Rukia said softly.

* * *

Rukia and Ichigo spent the next couple of days at their son's bedside in Squad Four, keeping vigil and hoping that he would snap out of this strange trance that he seemed to be under. Shiro still had not regained consciousness and did not acknowledge his parents' presense in his room. He simply lay in bed staring up at the ceiling, his eyes never blinking.

"Ichigo I'm scared for him," Rukia said in a soft voice.

"He'll be okay Rukia," Ichigo said in a comforting voice, gripping his wife's hand.

At that moment Shiro gasped and sat straight up in his bed, as though he were awakening from a nightmare. The boy's eyes widened further and his breathing quickened as he gazed around the room with a frantic expression on his face. Rukia jumped to her feet and quickly pulled her son into an embrace, holding him with one arm and running her free hand through his white hair. "It's okay Shiro-chan, you're safe."

Shiro tensed as his mother pulled him into her arms but his breathing slowed a few seconds later as he realized who it was that was holding him. "Mom. . ."

"What happened Toushirou?" Ichigo asked as he sat down beside Rukia on the edge of Shiro's bed.

Shiro pulled away from his mother and gazed up into his dad's face, a thoughtful look in his blue-green eyes. "It was weird. It was like I was watching my life flash before my eyes, only it wasn't MY life that I was seeing but. . . most of it's gone now."

Ichigo and Rukia exchanged a knowing look before quickly refocusing their gazes on their son. "I think you should lay back down and rest Shiro-chan," Rukia told him in a gentle voice, once again running a hand through his white hair. "You've been through a rough ordeal."

Shiro started to protest however Ichigo placed a hand on his son's shoulder and gently pushed him back down onto the pillow. "Do as your mother says Toushirou."

Shiro rolled his eyes in his dad's direction however, despite all of his protests, it was only a matter of minutes before he was sound asleep. Rukia pulled the blanket up to her son's chin and tucked the edges in around him and then she and Ichigo got to their feet and left the room. Together they made their way down the hall to Captain Unohana's office and, once there, Ichigo knocked softly on the door.

"Enter."

Ichigo slid the door open and he and Rukia entered the office.

"Is something wrong?" Captain Unohana asked as Ichigo and Rukia entered her office.

Ichigo shook his head and Rukia replied, "Nothing's wrong. Shiro-chan just woke up."

"That's wonderful," Captain Unohana said, a soft smile on her face. "How is he?"

"He's asleep now," Ichigo replied. "But when he woke up he said it was like he'd been watching someone's life flash before his eyes but that he couldn't really remember any of the specifics. I think this was a more extreme version of the episodes he's been having involving Captain Hitsugaya's memories."

"You may be right," Captain Unohana said in a thoughtful voice.

"I think we need to speak to Ukitake about this," Ichigo said, his gaze shifting from Captain Unohana over to his wife. "I know he decided that Shiro shouldn't know anything about Captain Hitsugaya but these episodes keep getting worse and I'm beginning to think that keeping this information from him may be doing him more harm than good."

"I agree," Rukia said.

Rukia and Ichigo both turned to leave the Squad Four office and Captain Unohana got to her feet and followed them to the door. She knew how they felt about the decision regarding their son however she was still convinced that the knowledge should be kept from Shiro, for his own good.

Together the trio made their way across the Seireitei to the Squad One barracks. When they arrived there, Ichigo knocked on the door and then slid it open, without waiting for an invitation to enter. Rukia and Captain Unohana followed Ichigo inside the room and Head Captain Ukitake glanced up as this unusual group walked across his office.

"Can I help you?" Ukitake asked in a confused voice as the trio came to a stop in front of his desk.

"We need to talk to you about Shiro." Ichigo said.

"How is he?" Head Captain Ukitake asked, a concerned expression on his face.

"He woke up," Rukia said. "Which is the reason we need to talk to you sir. When Shiro woke up it was like he was waking up from a nightmare, he was terrified, and then he told us that he'd been watching someone's life flash before his eyes. He was really freaked out and I'm worried about him."

Ichigo nodded. "I think we should tell him what's going on, with the visions and stuff."

"Ichigo. . ."

"He thinks he's going crazy," Rukia said. "And the visions keep getting worse."

"I know how you feel Rukia," Captain Unohana said in an understanding voice. "But if we tell Shiro that he's Captain Hitsugaya's reincarnation that knowledge could trigger a reaction far more severe than the one you just witnessed."

Head Captain Ukitake gazed over at the two concerned parents. "I realize that the two of you have Shiro's best interests at heart but I still think that telling Shiro that the visions he keeps having are the memories of a deceased captain could be dangerous, both to Shiro and to Soul Society. I'm sorry but I still don't think that you should tell him."

"This is our son," Ichigo said angrily.

"I'm sorry Ichigo," Ukitake said, a look of genuine sympathy in his eyes.

Ichigo growled low in his throat and opened his mouth to say something however his words were cut short when he felt a gentle hand on his arm. "Come on Ichigo. Let's go back and sit with our son."

Ichigo nodded and together the two parents left the Head Captain's office.

Ukitake sighed as he watched Ichigo and Rukia leave his office. Captain Unohana walked around his desk and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It's okay Jyuu, they'll be fine. They're just worried about their son but deep down they know that what you're doing is the right thing."

"Is it Retsu?" Ukitake asked, gazing up into his wife's gentle eyes.

"I hope so," Unohana said softly.

* * *

Ichigo and Rukia made their way back to Squad Four however they didn't return to their son's room. Instead they stood in the hallway and discussed their options. "What do you think we should do about Shiro, Rukia?"

"I don't know," Rukia said, sounding torn. "I don't want to do anything that puts my child in danger, either emotionally or physically, but I hate to watch him suffering. He thinks he's going crazy."

"I know," Ichigo said, running a hand through his orange hair. "Maybe we should wait and see what happens with him. If things continue the way they are now then we'll tell Shiro about Captain Hitsugaya even if we're ordered not to."

Rukia nodded.

"Come on Rukia," Ichigo said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Let's get our son and go home. I'm currently pissed off at Soul Society."

Rukia nodded again and together the two parents made their way down the hall to Shiro's room. Ichigo scooped his son up into his arms and Shiro didn't so much as move as his dad picked him up. Once he had the child in his arms Ichigo turned back to his wife. "Let's go."

A/N - and thus ends another chapter of Shiro's story. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to review and tell me your thoughts. And on a side note I've once again posted a poll to determine the gender of the upcoming arrival to the Kurosaki family, and it's actually working this time, so if you would like to participate your opinion matters. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	38. New Arrival

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach, just borrowing the characters for my own amusement

A/N- hey, it's the one year anniversary of this fic! I posted the first chapter on March 17, 2008. I can't believe that I've actually had a story on going for this long, it's a record for me. I normally don't have the attention span for long fics, my second longest Enemy in Soul Society is only 21 chapters and I finished it in four months. Thanx to everyone who reads and enjoys this fic and extra special thanx to the people who review. Made it to over 300!! You guys rock!

Chapter Thirty-Eight- New Arrival

"I can't believe this," Ichigo muttered as he paced around the small room where he and several members of his family were awaiting news on Rukia's condition. The baby had decided to make an appearance early that morning and at two o'clock Ichigo had been awakened from a sound sleep by his wife's gentle nudging. When he'd opened one eye, to find out exactly what the problem was, Rukia had whispered, "We have to go to Soul Society. It's time."

Instantly fully awake, Ichigo had called his father to tell him the news and then he had roused his son from sleep. Together the small family had quickly traveled to Soul Society where Rukia went into the care of Squad Four and her husband and son went into a small room to wait. Ichigo had felt nauseous ever since.

"Dad," Shiro said from the spot where he was reading a book, or at least trying to read a book. "Pacing around this room isn't going to speed things up so would you please just sit down?"

It was a sign of how stressed Ichigo really was that he obeyed this command from his son without comment or argument. Shiro went back to reading his book however he sighed in resignation as his Dad jumped to his feet not five minutes later and resumed his pacing.

"You may as well give it up Shiro-kun," Karin Kurosaki said from her spot across the room. She, along with her sister and their father, had joined the vigil in Squad Four about three hours ago. "He's not going to stop until the baby gets here so you're just wasting your breath."

Shiro debated the words of his aunt for a few minutes and then a slight glint appeared in his blue-green eyes. "I know how we can make him stop."

Isshin shook his head, noticing the gleam in his grandson's blue-green eyes and realizing what he had in mind. "Not a good idea Shiro. Your dad's already suffered too much head trauma in his lifetime."

Shiro sighed. "If you say so Gramps."

The group lapsed into silence at this point, each person lost in their own thoughts, however they were jarred from these thoughts by a light knock on the door. Ichigo shifted a wide-eyed gaze toward the door, halting his pacing mid-step.

"Calm down Dad," Shiro said with a sigh. "The people from Squad Four wouldn't knock." Raising his voice slightly the young boy called out, "Come in."

The door of the small room slid open and Hinamori and Hisagi stepped inside. "How are things going?" Hinamori asked, offering the group a small smile.

"Last we heard Mom was doing fine but the baby hadn't arrived yet," Shiro told her as she sat down. "And Dad needs a couple of Valium but other than that we're all fine."

Chuckling softly to herself Hinamori turned her gaze toward Ichigo. "Why are you so nervous Ichigo? You already have a son."

"I know," Ichigo said, in a voice that was almost a whimper. "That's why I'm nevous. I don't know if I can handle two of them."

"You have to Ichi-nii," Karin said with a smirk. "You don't have a choice in the matter."

Saying nothing Ichigo went back to his pacing.

"So exactly how long is this likely to take?" Shiro asked as he watched his dad walk the familiar path back and forth across the room. Pretty soon there was going to be an indentation in the floor from one end of the room to the next.

"It depends," Isshin said in a thoughtful tone of voice. "Your grandmother was in labor for nearly nineteen hours with your dad."

"Ugh," Shiro exclaimed. They'd already been in this tiny room for nearly eight hours and Shiro didn't know how much more he could take. Feeling slightly anxious the young boy suddenly jumped to his feet. "I'm going for a walk. I'll be back."

Shiro wasn't sure if his dad had even registered the statement however Ichigo didn't tell him that he couldn't go and that was good enough for the boy. Walking across the room he slid the door open and stepped out into the hallway. "Thank goodness," Shiro muttered to himself as he began walking down the hallway. "I was beginning to feel claustrophobic."

Without a clear destination in mind Shiro began walking down a hallway in Squad Four. He had no idea where he was going but he knew that he had to get as far away from that claustrophobic little room as possible before the state of his sanity took a decided turn for the worse. At this point he definitely couldn't handle that.

As the young boy walked down the hallway a door suddenly opened and Isane stepped out. She paused in her tracks as her gaze fell upon the young boy and she offered Shiro a smile. "Hey Shiro-chan," she said in a quiet voice.

"Hello," Shiro said, hoping that his presence hadn't disturbed anything. "I'm sorry. . ."

"It's okay Shiro-chan," Isane said, her smile growing wider. "I was actually on my way to see you guys." Stepping back inside the doorway she motioned for the young boy to follow her. "Come with me Shiro-chan."

Shiro hesitated, his eyes holding an uncertain expression.

"Come on," Isane said in a reassuring voice.

Shiro took a deep breath and followed Isane into the room. It took a couple of minutes for his eyes to adjust to the semi darkness of the room and when his vision cleared he saw Captain Unohana standing beside a bed and as he stepped closer he saw the face of his mother. Rukia looked more exhausted than he'd ever seen her but she also looked extremely happy.

Rukia smiled as her gaze fell upon her son. "Hey Shiro-chan. Come over here and meet your siblings."

_"Siblings. . ." _Shiro thought to himself as he stepped closer to his mother's bed. The young boy stepped up to the bedside and gazed down at the two bundles that his mother held in her arms. "Twins," he said with a small smile on his face.

Rukia nodded. "What do you think your Dad will think about that?"

"He's gonna have a stroke," Shiro replied. "He's already on the verge of a complete nervous breakdown and he thinks that you're only having one baby. This news is gonna make him need meds."

"Well," Captain Unohana said in her quiet voice. "I suppose I should go and collect the new father."

Rukia nodded and Isane came to stand beside her captain. "I'll come with you."

The two Squad Four officers left the room, leaving Rukia alone with her three children. Shiro once again gazed down at the two blanket wrapped forms and he noticed that one of the sleeping twins had the black hair of their mother while the other had Ichigo's bright orange hair.

"So Shiro-chan," Rukia said softly, gazing up at her eldest son with a loving expression in her eyes. "Now you have a brother and a sister."

Shiro smiled. He'd told everyone that he didn't have a preference however he found that he liked the thoughts of having both a little brother and a little sister. He felt a sense of love build up inside him, as well as a tremendous desire to protect the two tiny creatures that Rukia held in her arms.

"Would you like to hold one of them?" Rukia asked, noticing the intense expression in Shiro's blue-green eyes as he gazed down at his newborn siblings.

Shiro hesitated, his eyes widening.

"It's okay Shiro-chan," Rukia said as she held one of the blanket wrapped bundles out to her son. "She won't bite."

"I was more worried about hurting them," Shiro whispered as he carefully took his newborn sister into his arms and gazed down at her angelic face.

"You won't hurt her," Rukia whispered in a reassuring voice. "Babies are more durable than most people think. Just cradle her in your arms and make sure that you support her head."

Shiro nodded and watched as the baby opened her eyes and gazed up at him. The little girl had the clearest violet eyes that he had ever seen, almost an exact match for her mother's. "Hey," he said in a soft voice.

The door opened at this point and Shiro stepped back into the shadows as his dad stepped inside the room and rushed over to Rukia's bedside. "How are you feeling Rukia?"

"I'm wonderful Ichigo," Rukia said in a contented voice, smiling up at her husband.

Ichigo nodded and his gaze went to the bundle that lay beside Rukia. He reached out a hand and tentatively touched the black hair of the infant.

"Meet your son Ichigo," Rukia said in a quiet voice, a soft smile appearing on her face.

"I can't believe it," Ichigo murmured.

"That's not even the half of it Dad," Shiro spoke up as he stepped out of the shadows and rejoined his family at his mother's bedside.

Ichigo's eyes widened in shock as his gaze fell upon the bundle that Shiro held in his arms. He turned back to Rukia, a disbelieving look on his face. "T. . . two of them?"

Rukia nodded, her smile widening. "Meet your daughter."

Ichigo's gaze shifted once again to the infant that Shiro held in his arms and his eldest son gently placed the baby girl in his arms. Ichigo stared down into the clear violet eyes of his daughter, his gaze also taking in her pale skin and orange hair.

"How could Squad Four not have known that there were two of them?" Ichigo asked as he continued to stare down at the little girl that he was holding so tenderly in his arms.

"Well actually," Rukia began, sounding almost guilty. "Captain Unohana told me several months ago that we were having twins but I wanted it to be a surprise."

"Well I was definitely surprised," Ichigo said, willing to forgive his wife anything at this particular moment.

"So what should we name them?" Rukia asked.

"I. . . I have no clue," Ichigo stammered. Of course he'd thought about baby names, both boy and girl since Rukia had been adamant on the gender of their baby being kept a secret, however now that he knew there were two of them he was at a loss.

"Well I've been thinking," Rukia said, her soft-eyed gaze going to the little girl that he held in his arms. "And if it's okay with you I'd like to name our daughter Masaki."

Ichigo smiled at his wife as she professed her desire to name their daughter after his deceased mother. He nodded his head in agreement, his smile widening as he gazed down into the tiny face of the infant that he held in his arms. "Masaki," he whispered. Ichigo held a thoughtful expression on his face for a few minutes and then he turned his attention back to Rukia. "I think that we should name our son Kaien."

It was Rukia's turn to smile softly at Ichigo's choice of names for their son. Kaien had been the first person to treat her like a normal Shinigami after she'd been adopted into the Kuchiki family and although he was gone he would always hold a special place in her heart. "Kaien," she murmured, gazing down at the infant that was dozing in her arms.

_"Kaien and Masaki," _Shiro thought to himself. His new brother and sister.

"So should we let the rest of the family come in and get to know the little ones?" Rukia asked her husband in a quiet tone of voice.

Ichigo nodded and made a move to hand Masaki back to her mother however Shiro quickly spoke up. "I'll go and tell them that they can come and visit." And with that the young boy hurried across the room and stepped out into the hallway.

"So how did he react to his new siblings?" Ichigo asked, pushing aside his own shock and addressing his eldest son.

"When Shiro saw them he got this really intense look in his eyes," Rukia said, a thoughtful expression appearing in her eyes as her mind flashed back to the moment Shiro had met the twins. "This may sound strange but I think that he would gladly die for them."

"It doesn't sound strange at all," Ichigo said as he thought back to the day that his twin sisters Karin and Yuzu had been born. He had first hand experience with the protective big brother gene and knew exactly what had passed through Shiro's mind.

* * *

As Shiro made his way down the hallway, back to the room where the rest of his family as well as Hisagi and Hinamori were waiting, his thoughts flashed back to the two newest additions to his family. Kaien and Masaki. He couldn't believe that he now had not one sibling but two. _"Poor Dad," _he thought to himself, thinking that with twins there would be twice as much trouble.

When Shiro arrived at the waiting room he slid the door open and stuck his head through the doorway. "Would you guys like to go meet the new arrival?"

Everyone immediately jumped to their feet and Shiro led the way back to the room where his family was waiting. Opening the door slowly Shiro called out in a quiet voice, "Here's the rest of the family."

The group entered the room and Yuzu was the first to notice that both Ichigo and Rukia held a small bundle in their arms and her eye lit up. "Twins!" she exclaimed in a quiet voice, rushing over to the spot where her brother stood with his daughter in his arms. "Congratulations," she said as she wrapped her arms around Ichigo.

"Thanks," Ichigo said as his sister gave Rukia a hug.

Everyone else crowded around the bedside and Ichigo and Rukia introduced them to the newest additions to the Kurosaki family.

"Guys," Ichigo said in a quiet voice as his gaze shifted to each person in turn. "We'd like to introduce you to Kaien and Masaki Kurosaki."

Isshin was brought to the verge of tears when he heard that Ichigo and Rukia had named their newborn daughter after his wife and as he gazed at the orange haired princess that Ichigo held in his arms he knew that Masaki would be so proud of their son and would love his family with all her heart.

A/N - Fluff! aw, now Shiro has siblings. We should all observe a moment of silence for Ichigo since his life will never be the same. (cue maniacal laughter) Hope you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to review and let me know what you thought. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	39. A Step Too Far

Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach

Chapter Thirty-Nine - A Step Too Far

"Hey Kurosaki!"

Shiro had been lost in thought, his back propped against a large tree, however he was brought back to reality by the voice of his classmate. The boy reluctantly opened his eyes and watched as Heikichi walked slowly toward him.

"So where's Kasumi?" Heikichi asked as he sat down under the tree beside Shiro. It was odd that the two of them weren't together and Heikichi was curious as to the reason behind the anomily. "Outside of school I almost never see you without her."

"She was training with her dad today," Shiro replied absently, his gaze focused on the setting sun. For some reason that he had never understood Shiro had always enjoyed watching the sun set, even as a small child. It was such a soothing sight.

"I see," Heikichi said with a grin, seeing this as a wonderful opportunity to torment his friend. He didn't get this opportunity very often, normally Shiro was the tormentor, and the young boy always took advantage of it. "And while she's off working hard to improve her skills you're sitting here under a shade tree doing nothing."

Shiro shrugged, not even slightly annoyed by Heikichi's comments. "You can't improve upon perfection."

"Perfect huh? And you're so modest," Heikichi said, a hint of sarcasm evident in his voice. He was slightly disappointed that Shiro hadn't been annoyed by his little taunts and he sought to get a rise out of the younger boy.

"I'm many things," Shiro said with a smirk, not playing into Heikichi's plans. "But modest is not one of them. And if you doubt my words we could always fight." As he spoke Shiro pulled a small dragon-headed device from his pocket and held it up, practically daring his classmate to take him up on the offer. After all it had been awhile since the last time the two of them had sparred and Shiro was slightly curious as to whether or not the older boy had improved upon his skills.

Heikichi held up his hands and shook his head. "I think not Kurosaki. Normal people can't see you while you're in soul form which means that if I give in to your request and fight you then I'll just look like an idiot."

Shiro arched a brow and gazed over at his classmate. "And this is different from every other day how?"

"I swear Toushirou one of these days I'm going to. . ."

"Yea yea, I've heard that line before," Shiro said, completely unconcerned by his friend's half uttered threat. It wasn't as though he hadn't heard similar threats many times in the past. Threats no longer had any affect on him. Actions spoke much louder than words."One of these days you're going to beat the snot out of me. Forgive me Heikichi but I'll believe that one when I see it."

Heikichi clenched his hands into fists however before he made the mistake of saying anything further on the subject he decided that a change of subject would be the best course of action. Gazing over at the younger boy he said, "So, how's life with younger siblings?" Heikichi was an only child and he was curious as to how Shiro was coping with the newest additions to his family.

A small smile appeared on Shiro's face at the mention of his brother and sister. "They're pretty cool," the young boy said in a quiet voice. When he'd found out that his mother was pregnant Shiro had heard horror stories from some of his classmates about life after the birth of their own siblings however thankfully Kaien and Masaki didn't appear to behave like normal infants. They rarely ever cried and they both appeared to be very happy babies.

Heikichi was on the verge of saying something about the fact that Shiro was going soft however his words were interrupted before they reached his lips when he heard a howl echoing in the distance. The young boy's eyes widened in shock.

Shiro immediately jumped to his feet. "Did you hear that?" the younger boy asked, his gaze sweeping the area.

Heikichi nodded as he too got to his feet. "What do you think it is?"

"Hollow," Shiro replied without hesitation. "I can feel their reiatsu and they're headed this way."

"Well that's just wonderful," Heikichi muttered, shaking his head as he gazed about, attempting to locate the approaching Hollow.

"What's wrong Heikichi?" Shiro asked, his gaze going briefly to his classmate. "You've fought Hollow before." The boy conveniently left out the fact that Heikichi had done a fairly good job in a fight with him, the part he could remember anyway. "Don't tell me you're scared."

"I'm NOT scared," Heikichi snapped, angered by the words of his classmate. "But you know as well as I do that I don't have complete control of my powers. I'm better than I used to be but unlike you I'm a long way from perfection."

"Well," Shiro said as his gaze locked onto a group of Hollow that had just entered the clearing where they stood. "I can always take them on myself. Won't be the first time and it probably won't be the last."

"I'll help if I can," Heikichi stated, his gaze also focused on the approaching Hollow. "I'm just not sure I can."

Shiro nodded and as he and his friend watched the approach of the large group of Hollow the young boy once again pulled his Gikongan from his pocket, this time using it to assume his Shinigami form. Stepping away from Heikichi and toward the enemy the young boy pulled his zanpaktou from its sheath, pointing it's tip toward the heavens.

Once the Hollow got to within a few feet of the spot where he stood watching, Shiro swung his sword in an arch in front of him, calling out as he did so, "Reign over the frosted, frozen sky Hyourinmaru!"

The large dragon comprised of ice and water flew from the tip of the sword and destroyed several Hollow in one sweep. Unfortunately the group that they were dealing with was massive and Shiro's attack barely made a dent in their numbers.

Then, to make matters worse, Heikichi spotted a couple of smaller enemies, whom he recognized from previous battles as Arrancar. "Um Kurosaki, we have a problem."

Shiro gazed around and immediately saw the problem that his classmate was referring to. Slightly distracted by the sudden appearance of the two Arrancar Shiro drew in a sharp breath as he felt a set of claws rake across his right side.

"Kurosaki!"

Heikichi made a move to run toward his friend, determined to help Shiro despite the rather long odds, however he stopped dead in his tracks as he saw a massive blue aura suddenly erupt around his friend. Shiro's eyes began to glow an eery silver color and what happened next defied description. Without so much as a cry of rage Shiro tore through the Hollow like they were nothing and then the young boy focused his attention on the two Arrancar, his eyes narrowed in hatred. Taking them both on at once it was only a matter of minutes before they too fell to his blade.

"Way to go Toushirou!" Heikichi exclaimed, running toward his friend. He slid to a halt however as Shiro turned to face him, his eyes narrowed and his sword raised as though in preparation for an attack. Heikichi took a couple of steps back away from the younger boy, his eyes wide in surprise. "This isn't funny Toushirou. Look if you're still mad about that time I attacked you, I said I was sorry. Can't you just let it go?"

As though in response to this statement, Shiro pointed his upraised sword toward the older boy. "Aizen," the boy growled in a voice so low and cold that it sounded like it should belong to someone else and not the young boy who stood before Heikichi. This was the second time his classmate had called him by that name and he still had no idea what it meant. "This time you're going to die!"

"Kurosaki you freak!"

Heikichi's shouted words echoed in the relative silence of the clearing and Shiro's eyes widened as he suddenly realized that he was on the verge of attacking his friend. The young boy sheathed Hyourinmaru and then quickly returned to his physical body. Shiro was shaking violently as he returned to his physical body and he wrapped his arms around his small chest in a protective manner.

"Toushirou. . ." Heikichi's voice was uncertain as he took a couple of steps toward the younger boy.

"Stay away from me!" Shiro snapped, backing away from his friend.

"But Kurosaki. . ."

Shiro turned away from his friend at this point and fled. He was freaked out by the fact that he'd raised his sword against Heikichi and the worst part was he couldn't even remember why. He had absolutely no idea what could have caused him to come so dangerously close to attacking his friend. One minute he'd been fighting against a bunch of Hollow and the next he'd been pointing his zanpaktou at a terrified looking Heikichi.

_"What's wrong with me?" _Shiro thought to himself frantically as he ran through the forest and away from his friend. _"I could have killed him and I don't even know why."_

Heikichi stood and stared at the spot where Shiro had been standing mere seconds earlier. _"Was he actually going to attack me just then?"_

Sure the two of them sparred quite frequently and Shiro had even threatened his life on more than one occasion but this was the first time that Heikichi had ever got the feeling that his friend might actually make good on the threat. _"I must have done something seriously bad in a past life to have earned such suffering," _the young boy thought to himself.

"Heikichi."

The strange voice calling out his name effectively served to snap the young boy out of his thoughts and Heikichi turned to watch an unfamiliar Shinigami walking toward him. Although Kaiya had never actually met Shiro's friend and classmate she knew immediately who he had to be based solely on his appearance. She had been told of the reincarnation of Aizen by Captain Kurosaki back when he'd first learned about the two boys' friendship. "I felt the reiatsu of a group of Hollow. What happened here?"

Heikichi gazed up into the strange woman's eyes. "Toushirou tore through them like a man possessed and then he. . ."

The boy paused at this point, loathe to mention the small fact that Shiro had then turned his blade on him.

"Then he what?" Kaiya demanded, concerned by the fact that Heikichi seemed completely freaked out by whatever had happened and that Shiro was nowhere to be seen.

"Then he turned his blade on me," Heikichi forced himself to say. "But before he attacked he seemed to come to his senses and then he ran." It was in this moment that Heikichi glanced down and noticed the pool of blood that was on the ground where Shiro had been standing. His thoughts flashed back to the moment when Shiro had been wounded by the Hollow, the action that had caused everything. "Listen, we have to find Toushirou. He's hurt."

Kaiya glanced down at the pool of blood that Heikichi was staring at and then she attempted to locate Shiro's reiatsu. Nothing. Apparently the boy had chosen, for whatever reasons, to hide his reiatsu from detection. "Dammit. . . where are you Shiro-chan?"

* * *

Clutching his bleeding side Shiro slowly made his way through the forest that skirted the park on the northern side. His hasty retreat had caused the bleeding to worsen and the boy knew that he would have to do something about it however he was more preoccupied with the fact that he'd almost attacked his friend and had no memory of it. He strongly suspected that the visions had something to do with what had happened although if he'd had a vision he couldn't remember it. _"I have to find out what's going on."_

* * *

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Knowing that they had to locate the runaway boy as soon as possible Kaiya reached into the fold of her shirt and pulled out a small device that greatly resembled a cell phone.

Heikichi gaped in shock as the Shinigami flipped the device open and began rapidly pushing buttons. He couldn't believe what he was seeing and he rubbed his eyes with the backs of his hands to see if that made a difference. It didn't. "Um I'm sorry but Toushirou could be out there somewhere bleeding to death and you feel the need to send a text message?"

Kaiya briefly glanced over at the boy, confusion evident in her expression. "Text message? I'm not sure what that means exactly but I'm contacting Captain Kurosaki; he and Rukia should be able to help us find Shiro-chan."

"Oh," Heikichi said. It seemed reasonable to him that Shiro's parents may be able to help them locate him, after all who could possibly know him better?

Barely five minutes had passed from the time that Kaiya had sent the message when two figures dressed in black appeared in the clearing, identical looks of concern on their faces. "What happened Kaiya?" Ichigo asked as he and Rukia came to a stop in front of their subordinate.

"The boys were attacked by a group of Hollow," Kaiya informed her captain. "Which Shiro took care of however something happened to him during the battle."

"What happened?" Rukia asked, concern for her son evident in her voice. "Is Shiro hurt?"

"He was wounded in the battle," Kaiya told her superior. "But that's not what I was referring to. After Shiro finished with the Hollow he turned his blade on Heikichi and. . ."

Kaiya's voice trailed off at this point and Ichigo and Rukia both turned to face their son's classmate.

"I have no idea what came over him," Heikichi said in a small voice. "One minute he was fighting the Hollow like a man possessed and the next minute he was pointing his sword at me as though I were the next one on his hit list. And his eyes. . . it was as though I were looking into the eyes of a stranger."

"Heikichi you should go home," Ichigo ordered the young boy in a firm voice. "The rest of us are going to split up and search for Toushirou."

"But sir I can. . ." Heikichi began.

"It's okay," Rukia said in a kind voice, turning her gaze to the young boy. "Shiro's hiding his reiatsu so you really wouldn't be any help in this search. We'll find him don't worry."

Heikichi nodded and watched as the group of Shinigami departed. He still wanted to help with the search for his friend however he realized that Shiro's mother had a very valid point. If Shiro was indeed hiding his reiatsu then he didn't have a chance of finding him. It would be best if he left that job to the people that knew Shiro the best and might have an idea of where he had gone.

* * *

Shiro was beginning to grow weak, both from blood loss and from the visions that had been assaulting him since the battle with the Hollow, and he instinctively made his way back to the home that he shared with his parents. It became apparent that no one was home as soon as Shiro entered the darkened house however and, not really knowing what else to do, the young boy made his way down to the basement and activated the Senkaimon. He knew that he needed help and if his parents weren't around then there was only one other place he knew that he could go to.

Once the portal to Soul Society had been opened Shiro stepped through and when he arrived in the Seireitei he made his way immediately to Squad Four. Upon arriving there he knocked lightly on the door and then stepped back, fighting against the darkness and doing everything in his power to remain conscious. He'd grown stronger over the months and could usually fight off the affects of the visions however they were more intense this time and he was slowly but surely losing the battle.

"Toushirou."

Shiro glanced up at the person who had called out his name and he vaguely registered the face of the Squad Four Vice-Captain Isane Kotetsu before he finally gave way to the approaching darkness and completely lost consciousness. Isane caught the young boy as he fell, preventing his small body from hitting the ground, and then gently scooped him up into her arms. "What happened to you Toushirou?" she asked in a soft voice as she gazed down at the child's pale face.

Cradling the child in her arms Isane quickly made her way down the hall to the office that she shared with her captain and when she reached the door she thrust it open without even bothering to knock. "Captain Unohana!"

Jarred from her thoughts by the frantic voice of her vice-captain, Unohana glanced up and all thoughts of paperwork vanished as her gaze fell upon the bleeding child that Isane held in her arms. "What happened to him?" she asked as she jumped to her feet and rushed over to the spot where Isane stood.

"I don't know," Isane replied truthfully. "I heard a knock on the door and when I opened it Toushirou collapsed into my arms."

"Take him into one of the treatment rooms," Captain Unohana ordered.

"Yes ma'am."

* * *

Ichigo, Rukia and the members of Squad Five searched Karakura Town for over an hour, going to all of the spots that Shiro and his friends frequented, however not so much as a trace of the young boy was found by any of them. It was as though Shiro had simply dropped off the face of the planet.

"Do you think maybe he went home?" Ichigo asked as the group regrouped at the appointed time and place.

"It's worth looking into," Rukia said, not really sure whether or not Shiro would have gone home but knowing that it wouldn't hurt for them to check into that possibility. It wasn't as though they had any other good leads to go on.

And so, their decision made, husband and wife left the others to continue the search and quickly made their way back to the house that they shared with their son. When they arrived they reached much the same conclusion as Shiro had earlier; judging by the lack of lighting in the house no one was home.

"So now what are we supposed to do?" Ichigo asked his wife as he turned on one of the small lamps in the den. "We looked everywhere and we can't track his reiatsu because he's hiding it."

"I don't know what to do," Rukia said, tears appearing in her violet eyes.

Ichigo quickly crossed the room and wrapped his arms around his wife. "It's okay Rukia, we'll find him. And when we do we're going to tell him everything; about the visions, about Hitsugaya, everything. It's been going from bad to worse for months and the fact that he raised his sword against his friend is the last straw. I don't care whether Ukitake likes it or not at this point. He has to know the truth."

Rukia nodded and opened her mouth to voice her agreement with her husband however her words were interrupted when a small black butterfly made it's way into the room. Out of habit more than anything else Rukia held up her index finger and allowed the butterfly to land upon it. The creature perched there for a few seconds and then flew on its way.

Ichigo glanced over at his wife expectantly, waiting for her to share the message with him.

"Shiro's in Soul Society," Rukia said, heaving a small sigh of relief and wiping the uhshed tears from her eyes. "Apparently he sought the aid of Squad Four."

Ichigo gave his wife's shoulders one final squeeze before he released his hold on her. "Well come on. We should probably go and collect him since the three of us have a very important talk that we need to have."

Rukia nodded and together the two Shinigami made their way downstairs. When they reached the Senkaimon they found that it had already been activated and without hesitation husband and wife stepped through the portal and made their way to Soul Society. Then, when they arrived, they wasted no time making their way to the Squad Four barracks.

Just as their son had done Ichigo and Rukia made their way up to the front door of the Squad Four barracks and Rukia reached out a shaking hand to knock on the door. A few minutes passed and then the door opened, revealing Isane.

"How is Shiro?" Rukia asked as soon as the vice-captain appeared in the doorway.

"He's resting comfortably," Isane replied, offering the boy's parents a comforting smile. She knew how worried they must be and sought to offer them reassurance. "Captain Unohana took care of the wound on his side. Follow me and I'll take you to him."

Ichigo and Rukia both nodded and followed Isane down the hallway and into a small room, where their son lay on a bed in the center. The young boy was covered with a light blanket and he appeared to be sleeping peacefully.

"Oh thank goodness," Rukia whispered as she walked over to her son and ran her hand through his soft white hair.

"Captain Unohana said that it would be safe for you guys to take him home if you want to," Isane informed them once they had assured themselves that Shiro was indeed okay.

Ichigo nodded. "Thank you Isane. And please, offer Retsu our thanks as well."

Isane nodded and watched as Ichigo gathered his young son up into his arms. Then, together with his wife, he turned and left the small room.

"I guess we'll be having that little talk with him tomorrow," Ichigo said to Rukia as they made their way across the Seireitei toward the Senkaimon. He recognized the after affects of one of Shiro's visions when he saw it and he knew that there would be no waking the boy tonight.

"I guess so," Rukia said, a bit hesitantly. "Ichigo are you sure that telling him is the right thing to do?"

"Honestly no," Ichigo replied, his gaze shifting down to the child that he held in his arms. "But things can't go on the way they are now."

Rukia nodded. She knew that her husband had a very valid point and although she still had her doubts she would go along with his plan. Tomorrow, when their son awakened, they would tell him about his past life and what the visions he'd been plagued with for two and a half years really meant.

Ichigo walked over to the phone and picked it up. "I'll call Yuzu and ask if she can keep the twins until tomorrow. I think you need to rest."

Rukia nodded, thinking that it would probably be a good idea for Kaien and Masaki to stay the night with their aunt. After everything that had happened with Shiro she was exhausted and knew that she wouldn't be able to give them the attention they deserved. She didn't like the thoughts of leaving her babies in the care of someone else overnight but she knew that Ichigo's sister would take good care of them and she really was exhausted.

A/N - poor Shiro, he's really having a rough time. And Heikichi was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review and tell me what you thought. Til the next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	40. The Discovery

Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach

Chapter Forty - The Discovery

Ichigo and Rukia had had every intention of telling their son the entire story behind his past life and the visions that he'd been having since the age of eight however when they made their way down the hall to their son's bedroom it was to find the boy gone. His covers were tossed aside carelessly and it appeared as though he'd left in somewhat of a hurry however his destination was unclear.

"Where do you suppose. . ." Rukia began, her gaze shifting around the empty room.

"He was supposed to train with Ukitake this morning," Ichigo said as his gaze shifted around his son's empty bedroom. "So maybe he went to Soul Society."

"Should we. . ."

"We'll go in a little while," Ichigo said. "I want to speak to the Head Captain before we have our little talk with Shiro. I want him to know what we're going to do but I'm not going to let him convice me that it's the wrong thing to do this time."

Rukia nodded. Her thoughts focused on her son Rukia's gaze went to the calendar that was hanging on the wall and she gasped as she realized what day it was. It was December 18th and the eighteenth anniversary of the end of the winter war, as well as the anniversary of Hitsugaya's death.

This did not bode well.

* * *

Shiro had awoken from a troubled sleep, filled with more of the visions, more determined than ever to learn exactly what was wrong with him and, without telling his parents where he was going, the young boy made his way to the Seireitei. He was supposed to train with Head Captain Ukitake however after that he was determined to talk to anyone who would listen about his visions and hopefully someone would be able to shed some light on the situation. He would tell them his theory and find out if it had any basis in fact.

_"I have to know what's going on,"_ the young boy thought to himself as he made his way toward the Squad One barracks. _"Before it destroys me."_

He was determined to get answers and this time he wouldn't take no for an answer.

* * *

Shiro was in the middle of his training session with Head Captain Ukitake when they were suddenly interrupted by Ukitake's third seat officer Sentaro. And, after speaking briefly to the man, Ukitake had turned to Shiro with an apologetic look in his eyes.

"Sorry Shiro, but we're going to have to call it quits early today. Something's come up that I must attend to."

And with that Ukitake turned away from the boy and he and Sentaro walked away.

_"Dammit," _Shiro thought to himself as he sheathed Hyourinmaru. _"Now what am I supposed to do? I wanted to ask him about the visions but he ditched me."_

_**I propose you use your old stand-by and cause a little bit of trouble. I'm bored and could use a little bit of excitement.**_

Shiro rolled his eyes as he heard the voice of his zanpaktou. "You always say that because I'm the one who always gets punished for our little adventures." However, as he paced around, Hyourinmaru's suggestion began to appeal to him more and more. He could talk to someone about the visions after he had a little bit of fun, after all he needed to do something to cheer himself up. An evil grin suddenly spread across his face, accompanied by a glint in his blue-green eyes. "I think it's time for Grandpa Ukitake to have some technical difficulties."

_**That's my boy. That'll teach him to think twice before ditching you.**_

With this thought in his mind Shiro used his flash-step and disappeared. Recalling what had happened the last time he'd broken into the Squad One office and hacked into Ukitake's computer, Shiro decided that he should go somewhere else to access the computer.

_**And who do we know who can usually be counted upon to be avoiding work around this time of day?**_

_"I know," _Shiro thought to himself. _"I'll go to Squad Eight and see if Captain Kyouraku is there."_

_**Or more importantly whether his vice-captain is there.**_

His zanpaktou had a very valid point and Shiro decided to keep that in mind as he traveled to the Squad Eight barracks. When he arrived at the Squad Eight office, Shiro knocked lightly on the door but received no reply. _"Yes," _Shiro thought to himself as he slid the door open and stepped into the office. Gazing around Shiro was delighted to see that the office was completely empty.

Shiro walked over to Kyouraku's desk, sat down and flipped on his computer. _"I've never broken into Kyouraku's computer. I hope he doesn't have anything indecent on here."_

When the log in screen popped up, Shiro took a guess at the password and hit enter. Access granted, immediately, on the first try. Shiro shook his head, unable to believe his luck. _"Someone really should tell these people that the name of their zanpaktou is not a secure password."_

_**Now if someone tells them that, things are going to become more difficult for you.**_

_"Good," _Shiro thought. _"I could use a challenge."_

With a grin Shiro accessed the Seireitei network and quickly gained access to Ukitake's computer. _"Too easy."_

The Head Captain had changed things around since the last time Shiro had broken into his computer and he found that things were a little better hidden than usual. Ukitake wasn't very technically savvy and Shiro thought that he must have gotten someone from Squad Twelve to help him with it. The young boy was always up for a challenge however and his fingers flew across the keyboard. And as he searched for things he could lock the Head Captain out of the boy came across a series of files, each labeled with the name of a Shinigami.

Shiro grinned as he saw a folder with his dad's name on it. _"I bet that's an interesting read."_

The boy's smile quickly faded as his gaze fell upon a folder labeled: Hitsugaya, Toushirou. _"What the hell?" _Shiro knew that Hitsugaya had been the captain of Squad Ten before Matsumoto however he hadn't realized that the two of them had shared a first name. This was the captain that everyone in Soul Society refused to speak of and, unable to stop himself, Shiro clicked on the folder. The file opened and Shiro's eyes widened as a picture of the captain appeared on the screen.

The previous captain of Squad Ten appeared to be just slightly older than Shiro himself and the physical similarities between the two of them were downright eerie. _"This is messed up," _Shiro thought to himself as he read Hitsugaya's profile. Apparently Hitsugaya had been a child prodigy who had attained the rank of captain at an early age but it soon became apparent to Shiro that the file had been tampered with. The information was incomplete and it appeared to the boy as though huge chunks of the profile had been deleted. His fingers flew across the keyboard as Shiro attempted to retrieve the data that had been deleted from the file but no matter what he tried he was unable to pull up the information. It appeared as though someone competent, probably Urahara now that he thought about it, had seen to the security of this particular file and all of Shiro's efforts failed to produce the desired effect. Someone was obviously attempting to hide details of the young captain's life and Shiro wanted to know why. And he also wanted to know why no one had seen fit to tell him about the young captain whom he so greatly resembled.

_"What the hell are they hiding from me? Am I. . . Is he. . ." _

Having uncovered the secret that everyone in Soul Society had attempted to keep from him, Shiro made his way to Squad Ten. Matsumoto was the one most likely to provide him with information about Captain Hitsugaya. The mysterious captain whom no one would speak of had been her commanding officer so it stood to reason that she would know him better than anyone.

When he arrived at the Squad Ten barracks, Shiro knocked on the door.

"Enter."

Shiro grabbed the door and slid it open, stepping inside the office. His gaze swept around the room before it fell upon Matsumoto, who was seated at her desk.

"Hey Shiro," Matsumoto called out cheerfully as the young boy walked across the office. "Finished with training for the day?"

Shiro nodded, coming to a stop in front of the desk. "Ran-san, tell me about Captain Hitsugaya."

Matsumoto's eyes widened as she heard those words. This was not a request that she'd been expecting from him and she vaguely wondered what had brought on this sudden curiosity. "Why do you want to talk about him?"

"I came across his file in Ukitake's computer," Shiro said truthfully, fixing the Squad Ten captain with a piercing gaze. A gaze that reminded her greatly of her deceased captain. "And there was a picture."

Matsumoto gazed at the boy in horror. He'd never been meant to see that and she didn't know what to do. How in the world could she get out of answering this question? And she couldn't answer, Head Captain Ukitake had forbidden them from speaking of Captain Hitsugaya in front of Shiro when he'd started having flashes of the young captain's memories.

"I'm sorry Shiro," Matsumoto said in a quiet and slightly quivering voice. "I can't tell you about Captain Hitsugaya."

"Why not?" Shiro demanded, glaring at Matsumoto.

Hating herself for causing him pain, but knowing that she couldn't give him the information that he sought, Matsumoto turned away from the boy. Clenching his hands into fists, Shiro turned and stalked out of the Squad Ten office, slamming the door closed as he left. Matsumoto's refusal to tell him about the previous captain of Squad Ten did not diminish Shiro's desire to know so he made his way across the Seireitei to the home of Momo Hinamori.

Shiro knocked on the door, which was opened a few minutes later by Hisagi. The Squad Thirteen Captain smiled down at the boy. "Hello Shiro."

"Is Momo here?" Shiro asked.

Hisagi nodded and stepped aside so that Shiro could enter the house. "Come into the living room and I'll get her."

Shiro nodded and stepped inside the house. He walked into the living room, where he was soon joined by Hinamori.

"Hello Shiro-chan," Hinamori called out as she joined the boy in the living room. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Shiro nodded. "I need for you to tell me about Captain Hitsugaya."

Hinamori gasped as she heard these words and tears instantly appeared in her chocolate colored eyes. She shook her head, her gaze going to the ground. "I'm sorry Shiro-chan but I can't talk about him."

And with that Hinamori fled the room.

"Dammit," Shiro growled as he watched Hinamori flee the room. Getting to his feet the boy made a decision. If he wanted answers then he would have to go and ask Ukitake. There was simply no other way since it was obvious that no one else was going to answer his questions. His decision made, Shiro left Hinamori's house and made his way across the Seireitei to the Squad One barracks. When he arrived at Ukitake's office, Shiro knocked on the door, a determined look in his blue-green eyes.

"Enter."

Shiro slid the door open and stepped inside the office. Head Captain Ukitake was sitting at his desk and he gazed up as Shiro entered the room.

"Shiro," Ukitake said as the boy hurried across the room. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Shiro came to a stop in front of the Head Captain's desk and gazed at the old man, a piercing look in his blue-green eyes. "I saw the file on Captain Hitsugaya and I want some answers."

"How did you come across that file?" Ukitake demanded, even though he already knew the answer. There was only one place where Shiro could have came across the file on the late Squad Ten Captain. "You hacked into my computer again, didn't you?"

"Yes I did," Shiro said, no trace of guilt in his voice. "So when were you planning on telling me about him?!"

The boy was growing angrier with each word and Ukitake held up his hands. "Captain Hitsugaya was the captain of Squad Ten before Matsumoto, that fact was never hidden from you."

"That's true," Shiro said, his voice steadily rising and the room's temperature simultaneously dropping. "However that's the only thing anyone ever told me about him. Why won't anyone talk about this guy? Why does the file on him have huge gaps that can't be accounted for? And why the hell do I look like him?!"

"Calm down Shiro," Ukitake said.

"I will **NOT** calm down," Shiro yelled, his blue-green eyes narrowing in anger. "Dammit, why the hell won't you people tell me anything?!"

Ukitake opened his mouth, prepared to make another attempt at calming the kid, however Shiro gave the Head Captain an icy glare and stormed out of the office.

"Damn," Ukitake muttered, getting to his feet and staring at the door. "That could have gone better."

After leaving the Head Captain's office Shiro made his way toward the Senkaimon that would take him home, still fuming about the fact that even though he'd found the file on the former Captain of Squad Ten the inhabitants of the Seireitei still refused to give him any information on Captain Hitsugaya. What possible reason could the inhabitants of the Seireitei have for covering up this guy's background? Deep in thought, Shiro suddenly grabbed his head as a series of visions assaulted his mind.

Sinking to his knees, Shiro saw himself fighting beasts that resembled well developed Hollow. Arrancar. Then the vision flashed to a fight with his dad.

_"Not again! What the hell is going on?! These aren't my memories!"_

Suddenly the vision changed once again and Shiro saw the terrified faces of Hinamori and his mother. He was flying toward them, determined to reach them before. . .

At this point it was as though something inside Shiro's mind snapped. The boy's mind suddenly went blank and a tremendous, ice blue aura grew around him. Getting slowly to his feet Shiro continued on his way toward the Senkaimon that would take him back home to the world of the living, this time completely calm and detached.

* * *

"What was that?" Renji exclaimed, turning to the Squad Three captain, Natsumi Erisawa. "Did you feel that surge of reiatsu?"

Natsumi nodded, a look of confusion that matched Renji's identically. "And it was at an unbelievable level, far exceeding that of a captain. I don't think I"ve ever felt reiatsu this strong before but I don't recognize it, do you?"

Renji shook his head. "No but we should check it out."

Natsumi nodded and the two captains used their flash-step and vanished.

* * *

When Renji and Natsumi arrived in the area where they'd felt the surge of reiatsu issue from, Renji heaved a sigh of relief, although he was still slightly confused. He had always known that the boy was tremendously powerful, a prodigy in the truest sense of the word, however the reiatsu that he felt now was at an unimaginable level. Way higher than anything he'd ever sensed from Shiro before. "It's just Shiro. Hey kid, what's up?"

Shiro turned at the sound of Renji's voice and the Squad Nine Captain's eyes widened as he took in the boy's strange appearance. Shiro's eyes were blank, not to mention the fact that they were an icy blue instead of their usual blue-green, and the boy was surrounded by a vast blue aura. "Shiro! What's wrong kid?"

"Go away," Shiro said, his tone calm and his voice icy.

The voice that Renji heard wasn't even similar to Shiro's normal, soft edged voice, and he gazed at the boy in surprise. Using his flash-step Renji appeared in front of the kid.

"Move," Shiro demanded, his voice low and threatening.

"What's come over you Toushirou?" Renji asked as he gazed at the young boy.

The sound of that name set something off in Shiro's mind and the blue aura surrounding him doubled in size as he pulled Hyourinmaru from it's sheath. Holding the sword parallel to the ground, Shiro pointed the tip toward Renji in an obviously threatening manner.

"What the hell are you doing Toushirou?" Renji demanded, his gaze fixed on the sword that was now being pointed at him. "This isn't funny."

Holding the sword out in front of him Shiro snarled, "Bankai, Daiguren Hyourinmaru!"

Renji stared in horror as ice emerged from the hilt of Hyourinmaru and wound it's way up Shiro's arm and, at the same time, wings erupted from the young boy's back. He'd seen this transformation many times, this had been Captain Hitsugaya's Bankai as well, however this time it was different. The ice that encased Shiro's right arm, as well as the wings that had sprouted from the boy's back, were not the normal icy blue but midnight black. The color of darkness.

"This is not good," Renji exclaimed as he jumped back away from the boy, at the same time pulling his zanpaktou from its sheath and releasing its power with a cry of, "Howl, Zabimaru!"

The blade of Renji's zanpaktou transformed and he held it up, in preparation for the attack that he was desperately hoping he wouldn't have to use. "Please Toushirou, tell me what's wrong. Maybe I can help."

Gazing at Renji with his blank expression, Shiro held Hyourinmaru out in front of him. Then, with a mighty flap of his jet black wings, Shiro flew toward Renji, his face devoid of emotion and yet at the same time his intent crystal clear.

"Dammit!" Renji exclaimed, as he swung the blade of his zanpaktou. Fighting Ichigo and Rukia's son was the last thing in the world that Renji wanted to do however there was definitely something wrong with Shiro and he seemed determined to fight.

Shiro blocked Renji's attack easily with the blade of Hyourinmaru however he was forced to halt his assault. Glaring at the Squad Nine Captain, Shiro raised his sword and pointed the blade toward the heavens. "Reign over the frosted frozen sky, Hyourinmaru!"

The boy's reiatsu surged once more as a black dragon emerged from the tip of his zanpaktou and circled around him. Leaping lightly into the air, Shiro swung his blade and sent the dragon sailing toward Renji.

"Captain Abarai!" Natsumi yelled as she watched the dragon sail toward Renji. Pulling her zanpaktou from its sheath, Natsumi cried out, "Protect, Kiiro Tate!"

Renji stared in amazement as he watched the black dragon collide with a golden barrier and he offered Natsumi a grateful smile. "Thanks."

"No problem," Natsumi said. "So what are we going to do about the kid?"

Renji heaved a sigh as he held up Zabimaru. "I have no choice, I'm gonna have to knock him out. That seems to be the only way to make him stop at this point. Bankai, Hihio Zabimaru!"

Shiro's expression did not change as he watched Renji's sword grow into a giant snake made of bone. Swinging Hyourinmaru once again, Shiro unleashed the black dragon and this time the attack found its mark.

"Dammit," Renji swore as he wiped the blood from his mouth. Although he'd managed to block the majority of the attack it had still made contact. "What the hell is wrong with him?"

Renji was forced to abandon his thoughts as Shiro leapt into the air, supported by his huge black wings. Swinging his sword in an upward motion, Shiro shot shards of ice from the tip of his zanpaktou. The shards of ice flew toward the ground and, although Renji managed to get out of the way before the ice hit, Natsumi wasn't as quick. The Squad Three Captain screamed out in pain as the shards of ice slashed her flesh.

**"TOUSHIROU!"**

Shiro paid no heed to Renji's screams. The boy raised his sword, preparing for another attack.

Swinging his sword Renji called out, "Baboon Bone Cannon!"

The joints of the giant snake separated and flew toward Shiro. Swinging his zanpaktou furiously, Shiro knocked each segment to the ground and, before they had time to reform, he launched another attack of ice. Renji sucked in a sharp breath as he felt the shards of ice cut into his flesh. Pulling back on the hilt of Zabimaru, Renji used his reiatsu to pull the segments of the bone snake back together.

Glaring at Renji with a cold look in his blank eyes, Shiro flew toward the ground and stabbed the blade of Hyourinmaru into the earth. Renji watched in horror, unable to anticipate the attack, which he'd never seen. Releasing another burst of reiatsu Shiro caused ice to explode up from the ground, starting from the point where Hyourinmaru's blade was buried in the earth.

"Damn," Renji coughed, spitting blood from his mouth. "When did this kid get so powerful?"

"What is going on here?" a calm voice called out as Renji fell to his knees, severely injured by Shiro's last attack.

Shiro turned toward the sound of the voice and watched calmly as three more captains, Byakuya, Hisagi and Soi Fon approached him.

"Toushirou!" Hisagi gasped as his gaze swept over the scene and he saw Natsumi lying on the ground and Renji kneeling in a pool of blood. "What have you done?!'

Regarding Hisagi with a cold look Shiro pulled Hyourinmaru from the ground and held it up, preparing to attack the new arrivals. He paused however as the captains were all joined by their vice-captains.

"Come with me Toushirou," Byakuya called out in a commanding tone of voice. "The Head Captain will have to be informed of what has occurred here."

Shiro raked them with an icy look before he used his flash-step and vanished.

"Now what do we do?" Hisagi asked, his gaze shifting from the two injured captains to Byakuya.

"Soi Fon," Byakuya said. "Would you please take Captain Erisawa to Squad Four?"

With a nod Soi Fon walked over to the unconscious captain of Squad Three, picked her up and then dashed off. Byakuya turned back to Hisagi. "Now the three of us must go and inform the Head Captain of what has occurred here."

"But Byakuya," Hisagi protested, walking over to the spot where Renji knelt. "Renji's hurt too. Don't you think we should take him to Squad Four?"

"It's okay Shuhei," Renji said as he staggered to his feet. "We really need to tell Head Captain Ukitake what happened. Someone will have to be sent out after Toushirou. I don't know what's happened to him but he's definitely not normal and he's obviously dangerous."

Hisagi nodded and wrapped Renji's arm around his shoulders. "Come on then. It seems like I'm out voted."

Byakuya turned to the three vice-captains. "You're all dismissed. And tell no one what you saw here."

"Yes sir," the three vice-captains chorused before they turned and walked off.

A/N - Cliffhanger! Please don't hate me. I really don't know what to say but I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review and let me know what you thought. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	41. Shattered

Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach

A/N - I am SO sorry for the delay with this update but MTAC was this weekend. For those of you who aren't familiar with it MTAC stands for Middle Tennesse Anime Convention. My friend and I have just been so busy getting ready for the con and then when we got there I tried to update but my computer was being psycho. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Shiro-chan

Chapter Forty-One - Shattered

When the three captains arrived at the Squad One office Byakuya knocked on the door. "Captain of Squad Six Byakuya Kuchiki, accompanied by Captain Hisagi and Captain Abarai, requesting a meeting with Head Captain Ukitake."

"Enter."

Byakuya slid the door open and stepped into the office, followed by Hisagi who was still supporting the injured Renji, and as the trio entered the office they saw that Ukitake already had a couple of visitors. Ichigo and Rukia were both standing in front of the Head Captain's desk, matching serious expressions on their faces.

"Damn Renji!" Ichigo exclaimed as his eyes fell on his old rival and he noted the injuries that Renji had sustained. "What the hell happened to you? Who did you piss off this time?"

Renji hesitated, his gaze going over to Rukia. He hadn't expected for her to be here and he didn't know if he would be able to tell Ukitake what had happened with her in the room. He wasn't concerned with Ichigo and could probably have delivered the news to him with relatively little problem but Rukia was different. The news that they had came to deliver wasn't something that a mother should hear about her son and Rukia was his best friend. He didn't want to hurt her.

"What happened?" Head Captain Ukitake demanded.

"It was Toushirou," Byakuya replied, his gaze focused on his superior. Renji glanced at his former captain out of the corner of his eye, slightly shocked by the blunt way in which he had delivered the message. Apparently Byakuya didn't have the same reservations that had caused him to hold his silence.

"What the hell did you just say?" Ichigo demanded, taking a couple of steps toward Byakuya. His hands were clenched into fists and he narrowed his eyes in anger as he gazed at his brother-in-law. "You actually expect us to believe that a ten year old boy did this to a Captain class Shinigami?"

"I'm sorry Ichigo," Renji said in a quiet voice, knowing that he had to tell the truth despite the fact that he was going to cause his best friend pain. "Rukia, I'm really sorry. I don't know what's wrong with him but I do know that he's not himself right now. And he's learned a few new tricks, one of which is Bankai."

Head Captain Ukitake gasped as he heard these words. "Oh no. I was afraid something like this might happen. He found the file on Captain Hitsugaya and he was asking questions. I refused to answer and he was really angry when he left my office. Something must have happened after that to trigger a mental breakdown."

"His Bankai looks like Hitsugaya's did," Hisagi informed the group. "Except that the ice is black instead of blue. And for some reason his eyes have changed color and are now such a pale blue that they appear almost colorless."

"What was he doing when you found him Renji?" Ukitake asked, worried about what might happen now that Shiro had snapped.

"He was on his way toward the Senkaimon," Renji replied, a note of dread evident in his voice. "I think he was going to go to the world of the living."

"In his current state he could do some serious damage in the world of the living. We'll have to send a group out to bring him back to the Seireitei," Ukitake said in a quiet voice. "By any means necessary."

"I'm going," Ichigo said, turning toward the door.

"I don't think that's a good idea Ichigo," Ukitake began but Ichigo turned back toward the Head Captain, a determined look in his eyes. There was absolutely no way that he was going to allow the Head Captain to keep him away from the world of the living, either by request or by order. "You don't understand Ukitake. This isn't open for discussion. I'm going and that's all there is to it."

"I'm going too," Rukia said, walking over to the spot where her husband stood.

Ichigo shook his head, feeling that Rukia did not need to see their son in his current state. "I don't think this is something you need to see Rukia."

Rukia glared at him, the same determined look in her eyes that he held in his own. "If you think for a second that I'm going to just sit here while my son is hunted down like a criminal then you're crazier than I thought you were Ichigo."

With a sigh Ichigo turned away from his wife. He knew that there would be no reasoning with her on this matter and that left him with no other alternative but to ask a favor of the last person on earth he'd expect to help him. "Byakuya I need a favor."

Without a word to anyone Byakuya used his flash-step and appeared behind Rukia. Reaching out, he grabbed her arms before she had time to react.

"Keep her here where she'll be safe," Ichigo said and with that he left the room.

"Nii-sama," Rukia said, her voice low and threatening as she glared over her shoulder at her brother. There was fire flashing in her violet eyes as she growled, "Let me go or you're going to get hurt."

Completely ignoring the threat from his sister Byakuya glanced over at Head Captain Ukitake, a questioning look in his eyes.

"I think you should take Rukia to Squad Six," Ukitake said in a resigned voice. "And make sure that she stays there."

Byakuya nodded and led his struggling sister out of the office. When they were gone Ukitake turned his attention toward Hisagi and Renji. "Shuhei, take Renji to Squad Four and then find Rangiku and Ikkaku. Once you've found them, brief them on the situation and then go to the world of the living and find Toushirou. The child must be stopped before anyone else gets hurt."

"Yes sir," Hisagi said with a nod.

* * *

"That's Shiro-chan," Kasumi gasped, stopping in her tracks and whirling around to face the direction from which she felt a tremendous energy radiating. The young girl had been walking down the street, toward her home when she suddenly felt the unmistakable reiatsu of her best friend however there was something definately off about the feeling that she was getting. "There's something wrong."

Deciding that she had to look into the situation and find out exactly what was going on with her friend Kasumi dashed off down the street in the direction that the reiatsu was coming from. And as she ran toward the location where she knew her best friend must be the young girl was soon joined by Heikichi. The boy gazed over at her as they ran side by side. "So you felt it too huh Ishida?"

Kasumi nodded. "What do you think it means?"

"I think it means that someone seriously pissed off Kurosaki," Heikichi said shaking his head. "All this power. I mean I know that Shiro is the most powerful member of our little group but this is way beyond anything that I've ever felt from him."

"I know," Kasumi said, nodding her head in agreement. "But it doesn't feel right. There's something wrong, I can tell."

"Well," Heikichi said in a serious tone. "There's only one way to find out exactly what it is. We have to go and find him."

Kasumi nodded and together the two children quickly made their way across town. When they finally found Shiro both children drew up short, identical shocked expressions appearing on their faces. True this was the friend that they had been seeking and yet at the same time the young boy looked totally different. Shiro was surrounded by a vast aura and his normally blue-green eyes had turned an eerie shade of palest blue, the color of ice.

"Shiro," Kasumi called out to him, taking a step in the direction of her friend.

"No Kasumi!" Heikichi said, suddenly grabbing Kasumi by the sleeve and pulling her back.

"What the. . ." Kasumi exclaimed as she turned to face Heikichi.

"Don't you see it?" Heikichi asked, his gaze never leaving Shiro who was steadily walking toward them. "This isn't the Shiro that we know. Something's happened to him. He's different now."

"Oh no," Kasumi gasped as her mind went through possible scenarios and arrived at the most likely conclusion. "He must have found out."

"Found out what?" Heikichi asked.

"I'll have to explain later," Kasumi said as she pulled her arm free from Heikichi's grip and ran toward her best friend before the older boy had the chance to stop her. She had to get through to him and get him to realize who she was and who he was before it was too late. "Shiro it's me, it's Kasumi."

It was as though Shiro couldn't hear the words that she was shouting at him. He continued calmly walking toward them as though he were deaf, his blank gaze focused intently on the horizon.

"You have to listen to me," Kasumi pleaded, tears forming in her blue eyes. "Please Shiro."

At this point Shiro regarded the young girl with a cold look and then slowly drew Hyourinmaru from the sheath that he wore across his back. Kasumi gasped as he raised the sword and she realized that her best friend had every intention of attacking her. "Toushirou!"

Shiro swung the sword in an arc above his head and released the black dragon.

"Look out!" Heikichi yelled, running toward Kasumi who seemed to be frozen in place.

Heikichi managed to make it over to his friend before the attack struck however he immediately realized that he wouldn't have time to block the attack that was heading straight toward them. Groaning he blocked Kasumi's body with his own and braced for the impact of the dragon. The young boy clenched his eyes closed and waited but, seconds before the attack would have made contact, it was knocked to the side. Hearing the sound of the dragon colliding with the ground Heikichi tentatively opened one eye and his gaze met the sight of Kasumi's dad standing a few feet in front of them, dressed all in white and holding a huge bow in his hand.

"Are you kids alright?" Uryu asked as he stared over at the young boy who had attacked them.

"We're okay Dad," Kasumi said, her gaze once again going over to Shiro. "But there's something really wrong with Shiro. I don't think he knows who we are."

Uryu stared over at the boy, having no desire whatsoever to fight him. As much as he'd complained about Shiro being a bad influence on his daughter the boy really was a good kid and had actually saved Kasumi's life on more than one occassion. "Back off Toushirou or it's going to be bad. . . for all of us."

The boy stared at Uryu, a cold look in his eyes, and then raised his sword.

Uryu shook his head and quickly stepped over to the spot where Kasumi and Heikichi stood. He grabbed the two surprised kids by the hand. "Come on. I have to get the two of you to safety and then find Ichigo. He's the only one who may be able to help us with this." This said Uryu used the Quincy version of a flash-step and vanished, dragging Kasumi and Heikichi along with him.

Shiro watched them go, a bored expression on his face. Honestly the group posed no threat to him and thus he had no desire to follow them. Sheathing his sword the boy continued on his way.

* * *

Third seat of Squad Five, Ryuu Tomori, was on patrol when he too felt a tremendous surge of reiatsu. Pulling his communicator from his pocket, he flipped it open and gazed at the screen.

"What the hell is it?" Tomori asked himself. "It's not a Hollow."

Pressing the keys of his communicator frantically, Tomori summoned all of the seated officers of Squad Five to his location. Within the span of ten minutes all nineteen officers had arrived and Tomori addressed the group. "Did you guys feel that reiatsu?"

The group all nodded and the fourth seat, Kaiya Maekawa said, "But none of us can figure out what it is. All we know is that it's not a Hollow."

Tomori nodded. "The Captain and vice-captain both traveled to Soul Society, so we're going to have to go and check it out."

"Yes sir."

With that the group set out in search of the owner of the reiatsu that they'd felt and it wasn't long before they found him. Tomori stopped and gazed in horror at the figure that was walking toward him. Dressed in a shihakusho and surrounded by an immense aura there could be no mistaking the captain's son.

"Shiro!" Tomori called out sternly, his narrowed gaze focused on the young boy. "I thought your father told you not to use the Gikongan except in an absolute emergency? What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Shiro spared the man an icy look before he continued on his way.

"Stop right there Toushirou!" Tomori called out as the boy walked past him. He reached out to grab Shiro by the arm however his hand was deflected by a burst of reiatsu.

"What the hell?!" Tomori exclaimed, pulling back his singed hand. **"TOUSHIROU!"**

Shiro turned toward Tomori and pulled his zanpaktou from its sheath. His face was devoid of emotion as he pointed the blade toward Tomori, however his intentions were crystal clear.

"Shit!" Tomori exclaimed as he jumped back away from the boy. "This is bad. I can't fight the captain's kid."

"Well you're going to have to do something," Kaiya called out, concern evident in her eyes. There was something seriously wrong with Shiro, Kaiya knew that without a doubt. "I don't know what's wrong with him but this is seriously bad."

Tomori gazed over at the boy in horror as Shiro swung his zanpaktou in an arc, sending ice flying toward the group of Squad Five officers. There were screams of pain as half of the group fell to the first attack however Tomori, along with a handful of others, managed to remain standing.

'What the hell did you do to him you moron?" Kaiya asked, glaring at Tomori.

"I didn't do anything," Tomori said, keeping his wary gaze focused on the boy. "I mean he doesn't like me, he's never liked me, but I didn't do anything bad enough to kill me over."

Kaiya rolled her eyes however the comment she was about to make died in her throat as Shiro raised his sword in preparation for another attack. Shiro swung Hyourinmaru in an upward motion, and a barrage of ice flew toward the remaining officers of Squad Five. There were more screams and a few more fell.

"Damn!" Tomori exclaimed, raising his zanpaktou. "I'm going to have to put an end to this before all of Squad Five is wiped out. The captain's going to be pissed either way so what the hell."

Shiro stared at the Squad Five third seat as the man walked toward him. The man's reiatsu was pathetic and thus he posed no real threat however the boy was irritated at this point. He held up his zanpaktou and whispered, in a deadly serious tone of voice, "Bankai, Daiguren Hyourinmaru."

"There's no way. . ." Tomori watched in horror as black ice erupted from the hilt of Hyourinmaru and encased Shiro's right arm, and huge black wings grew from his back.

"We're screwed," Kaiya said.

Although he disagreed with the vulgar way she said it, Tomori wholeheartedly agreed with her assessment of the situation. None of them had Bankai and therefore they stood no chance in this fight. With a flap of his wings Shiro soared into the air and, pointing his sword down at the group, unleashed another barrage of ice. Tomori and Kaiya fell as the ice slashed their flesh.

**"STOP TOUSHIROU!" **a clear voice called out.

Shiro gazed down and watched as a group from Soul Society assembled near the fallen below. Ichigo gazed up at his son, a horrified expression on his face. Shiro's blank expression did not change when his gaze fell upon his dad and he raised his zanpaktou in preparation for another attack. Ichigo's hand went to the hilt of Zangetsu however he was hesitant to attack his son and Hisagi ran forward, seeking to end the confrontation before Ichigo was forced to raise his sword against his own son.

"Toushirou," Hisagi called out, gazing up at the boy. "What's wrong kid? Please talk to us."

Shiro regarded Hisagi for a moment before swinging his sword and sending a barrage of ice toward the Squad Thirteen Captain. With a curse Hisagi leapt into the air and pulled his zanpaktou from its sheath. Releasing the power of his sword, Hisagi twirled the newly formed staff in his hands.

* * *

"Nii-sama you have to let me go," Rukia demanded as Byakuya led her toward the Squad Six barracks. "I have to go and find my son."

Byakuya was unrelenting as he dragged her toward his office. "The one who's doing this, the one responsible for the injury of two captains, isn't your son."

"No," Rukia said as her free hand went to the hilt of her zanpaktou. "But my son is still there somewhere and he needs my help."

With one fluid motion Rukia pulled her arm from her brother's grasp, spun around and drew her sword.

Byakuya regarded his sister with a calm gaze. "Do you really intend to fight me?"

"If you force me to," Rukia replied, a determined look in her eyes. "But I'd rather not have to Nii-sama. Will you allow me to leave and go and help my son?"

"I'm afraid I cannot," Byakuya replied.

"Then we'll have to fight," Rukia said, her grip on the handle of her zanpaktou tightening. "Dance, Sode No Shiraiyuki!"

* * *

Having gotten the two kids home safely Uryu was on his way to find Ichigo when he felt the tremendous reiatsu that was caused by the fight between Hisagi and Shiro. He recognized the kid's reiatsu immediately and although he couldn't tell who the boy was fighting he knew that it wasn't going so well for them. "I have to try and help," he thought to himself as he rushed toward the scene.

When he arrived he saw that Shiro was fighting one of the Shinigami that he only knew by sight and he saw that Ichigo and a few other Shinigami were standing around watching the fight. Ichigo had a horrified expression on his face and Uryu felt bad for his friend and knew exactly what must be going through his mind. Ichigo knew that he would have to intervene and yet he couldn't handle the thought of going up against his son.

"Shuhei!" Matsumoto called out as Hisagi was knocked out of the sky by a blow from Hyourinmaru. The Squad Thirteen Captain fell to the ground and landed with a dull thud.

"Dammit," Ikkaku swore, gazing up at Shiro. "No way should the kid be this powerful."

Ichigo gazed at the limp forms of his fallen officers, lingering the longest on Kaiya, and then his gaze shifted to Hisagi and then finally he lifted his gaze and stared up at Shiro. Ichigo knew that he couldn't allow this to continue. There was no way the boy was in his right mind however if he wasn't stopped soon then it was highly likely that someone would end up dead.

_"I can't allow that to happen," _Ichigo thought to himself as he grabbed the hilt of Zangetsu. _"Shiro would never be able to forgive himself if he killed a friend."_

The cloth that was wrapped around the blade fell away as Ichigo drew Zangetsu. Holding his zanpaktou out in front of him Ichigo gazed up at his son with a determined look in his eyes.

"Ichigo. . ." Matsumoto called out softly.

Without a word to any of the others Ichigo leapt into the air, prepared to face his son. Shiro gazed over at his father, his face devoid of emotion and Ichigo stared at his son's blank, icy blue eyes, wondering what the hell had happened to the kid. Shiro raised Hyourinmaru and swung the sword in an arc in front of him. Ice flew from the tip of the zanpaktou however Ichigo used Zangetsu to knock the shards of ice away.

"I'm really sorry Shiro," Ichigo said as he swung Zangetsu. "Getsuga Tenshou!"

Using his flash-step Shiro dodged his dad's attack and, swinging his zanpaktou he released the black dragon. With a flick of his sword the boy sent the dragon soaring toward Ichigo. Ichigo pointed Zangetsu in front of him and used the sword to block the ice dragon. When the dragon made contact with the tip of his zanpaktou, Ichigo released a burst of reiatsu which caused the dragon to explode in a burst of ice.

Irritated that his attack was unsuccessful, Shiro gave a mighty flap of his wings and flew toward his dad, Hyourinmaru held out in front of him. Reaching Ichigo, Shiro swung his zanpaktou furiously. As Ichigo blocked the blows he couldn't help but marvel at the strength of the kid. He'd sparred with Shiro a number of times before however the boy had never shown this level of power during their training sessions. It was almost as though the boy were channeling power from somewhere else, in addition to his own. His thoughts were cut short however as he felt a piercing pain in his shoulder. One of the boy's attacks had made contact and blood poured from his left arm.

"Ichigo!" Matsumoto called out.

Jumping away from his dad Shiro swung his sword and sent shards of ice flying toward him.

"Dammit," Ichigo swore as he felt the ice pierce his flesh. "This isn't really accomplishing anything."

Lowering his zanpaktou Ichigo held his hand up in front of his face and Shiro watched as a mask formed over his dad's face. His speed now greatly increased, Ichigo dashed toward Shiro, swinging his zanpaktou furiously. Holding his zanpaktou out in front of him Shiro blocked the blows however it was proving more difficult now and he sucked in a sharp breath as he felt Zangetsu slice the flesh of his shoulder. Shiro used his flash-step to get away from Ichigo and, once he was a few yards away, he swung his sword in an upward motion and sent shards of ice flying toward his dad.

Swinging Zangetsu in a circle, using the cloth on the hilt as a handle, Ichigo blocked the shards of ice. Then he pulled the sword back into his grasp and swung it. "Getsuga Tenshou!"

Shiro was knocked backward a couple of feet as the attack made contact and he absently wiped the blood away from his forehead. The aura that was surrounding him doubled in size as Shiro held up his sword in preparation for his next attack, however Ichigo never gave him the chance to follow through. Dashing toward Shiro, he swung his zanpaktou furiously.

"I can't believe the boy's actually holding his own against Kurosaki," Ikkaku said as he and Matsumoto watched the fight. "And he's in his Hollow form."

Matsumoto nodded, her horrified gaze never once leaving the battle.

Uryu was also at a loss as to how to explain Shiro's increase in power. It was true that the boy had always been gifted, a real prodigy, and yet he had never displayed power on the same level as what he possessed at the present moment. It was almost as though his powers had been combined with those of someone else. "What the hell happened to this kid?" he wondered to himself as he watched Ichigo and Shiro fight.

Shiro and Ichigo traded blows, neither willing to relent however neither gaining any distinct advantage. Matsumoto and Ikkaku stood below, straining their eyes in an attempt to keep up with the flashes of color that they knew to be the combatants.

Both combatants were bleeding and slightly out of breath as they gazed over at one another, preparing for their next attack. The aura surrounding Shiro grew once more as he flew toward Ichigo. Ichigo held up Zangetsu, ready to block the boy's attack, however Shiro never reached him. Someone appeared in between them at the last second and Ichigo's eyes widened in horror as he watched Shiro's sword pierce the flesh of Rukia's shoulder. The Hollow mask that was covering his face exploded as he screamed out, **"RUKIA!!"**

A/N- another cliffhanger! once again, please don't hate me. Hope you liked this chapter, the action's definately picking up now. Please review and let me know what you thought about this chapter. Please. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	42. The Aftermath

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach, not even the kind designed to keep whites, white. I merely borrow the characters for my own amusement and hopefully yours.

Chapter Forty-Two - The Aftermath

Rukia let out a little gasp of pain as the blade of the sword pierced her flesh however there was only love in her violet eyes as she gazed over at her son. It was true that he held in his hand the sword that was currently sheathed in her shoulder however she knew without a doubt that this was not his fault. Something had happened to him, something that was outside of his control, and she wanted to make sure that he knew that she didn't blame him for any of this. Seeming not to notice whom he had attacked Shiro mercilessly pulled Hyourinmaru from Rukia's shoulder and watched as she fell to the ground, his cold expression never changing. Landing lightly on the ground beside her the young boy raised his sword, preparing to deal the finishing blow.

**"NO!"**

His horror filled gaze focused squarely on his family Ichigo dashed toward Shiro however he paused as Rukia held her hand out to the boy. She was using the last of her strength to reach out to their son. "Shiro-chan. . . it's alright Shiro-chan, everything's. . . going to be okay. I know. . . this isn't your fault. I love you."

Rukia spoke to the boy in the same tone of voice that she'd used when he'd been little and had had a nightmare. It was a voice of comfort. Even though she was covered in blood from an injury that he had caused she was striving to let the boy know that everything was okay.

"Mom. . ."

Shiro stared from his bleeding mother to his blood-stained zanpaktou and the boy's eyes widened in horror as the realization of what he'd done hit him. Shiro's eyes turned from icy blue back to their normal blue-green and the wings on his back turned from black to blue a split second before they exploded in a spray of ice and blood. Falling to the ground beside his mother, Shiro held his hand out to her, tears flowing down his face.

"Mom. . . I'm really sorry. P-please. . . be okay."

With these pleading words fading into the wind Shiro's eyes slowly closed as Ichigo ran over to his family. Ichigo gazed down into Rukia's half open eyes for a split second before his gaze shifted to the wound on her shoulder and upon a closer inspection of the injury that their son had inflicted he heaved a sigh of relief. The wound was fairly serious however it didn't appear to be life threatening. His gaze then shifted to the limp form of his son, who was covered in blood. Due to the loss of his Bankai his injuries were more severe and would require immediate treatment.

Ikkaku took a few steps toward Shiro, holding up a pair of handcuffs that would seal the boy's reiatsu, however he halted his progress when Ichigo turned and gave him a warning look.

"You're not using those," Ichigo said, his voice low and full of warning.

"Ichigo," Ikkaku said, his gaze shifting back and forth from the Squad Five Captain to the bloody young boy who was lying motionless on the ground. "Head Captain Ukitake ordered us to bring him back to the Seireitei."

"And we will bring him back," Ichigo said as his gaze shifted between his son and his wife, torn as to which of them he should help first "But not like that. Rukia was right, none of this is his fault, and I won't allow him to be taken back to the Seireitei in cuffs, like a common criminal."

"I'll get him Ichigo," Matsumoto said in a quiet voice, walking over to the spot where Shiro lay. Fighting hard to keep the images of Captain Hitsugaya's lifeless body out of her thoughts Matsumoto walked over to the spot where the young boy lay, knelt at his side, gently pulled Shiro into her arms and then got to her feet. With a nod of thanks in her direction Ichigo knelt down and scooped Rukia up into his arms.

"Ikkaku," Ichigo said, turning to the Squad Eleven Captain. "Would you please send for some members of Squad Four to take care of Hisagi and my officers?"

Ikkaku nodded and then watched as Ichigo and Matsumoto vanished.

Uryu also watched as his friend disappeared and for once he actually felt bad for Ichigo. The man had been forced to battle his own son, which couldn't have been easy, and then he'd watched as Shiro had attacked Rukia and stabbed her in the shoulder. No parent should ever have to deal with such trauma and he felt for Ichigo, despite their rather rocky relationship.

* * *

Ichigo was sitting at his wife's side later that night when Rukia's eyelids began to flutter. She slowly opened her eyes and, after staring around the small room in confusion for a few minutes, her searching gaze fell upon the face of her husband. "Ichigo."

Grateful that she had finally regained consciousness Ichigo quickly got to his feet and leaned over his wife's bed, attempting to gauge how she was feeling by the expression in her violet eyes. He shook his head in frustration as he gazed down into her pale face. Now that she was awake he allowed himself to feel anger over the reckless thing that she had done. "What the hell were you thinking Rukia? You could have gotten yourself killed."

"I was thinking that I had to save my son," Rukia replied softly, not even feeling the slightest bit of regret over what she had done. If given the chance to go back to that moment, even knowing what happened, she wouldn't change anything. Nothing in life was more important to her than her children and her son had needed her. How could she do anything else? "I couldn't allow him to suffer for something that wasn't his fault. I just couldn't do it Ichigo."

Ichigo shook his head once again, slightly exasperated by her stubbornness and yet at the same time knowing that things could have turned out far worse for everyone concerned if she hadn't intervened. Despite himself he found that he couldn't fight back the small smile that appeared on his face and he decided to change the subject. After all there was something that he'd been curious about ever since his wife had appeared on the battlefield. "So tell me, how did you get away from Byakuya?"

"I fought him and won," Rukia replied softly in a matter of fact tone, thinking back to the rather harsh battle that she had fought against her older brother. In retrospect she probably shouldn't have been so hard on him but he came between her and her abiltiy to go to her son and that was simply unacceptable. "Which now that I think about it will probably get me in trouble later but oh well. Ichigo, how is Shiro?"

Ichigo's gaze shifted away from his wife and he regretted the news that he had to give her however he also realized that she had the right to know. "He still hasn't regained consciousness."

"I want to see him," Rukia said, slowly pulling herself to a sitting position and gazing up at her husband.

Ichigo shook his head, not really sure that that would be the best thing for her at the present moment. She was already injured and exhausted and the sight of her injured son would only cause her further pain. "I don't think you should get out of bed yet."

"Ichigo," Rukia said softly, a pleading look in her eyes. "Please. I need to see my son."

Staring into his wife's violet eyes Ichigo found himself unable to tell her no, no matter how much he wanted to. Sighing to himself he leaned over, lifted Rukia into his arms, and gently cradled her against his chest. Ichigo slowly carried Rukia down the hall and together they entered a semi-darkened room. Walking over to the bed that was positioned in the center of the room, Ichigo placed Rukia in a chair that had been positioned beside it.

Rukia stared down at her son, who had a bandage wrapped around his forehead as well as bandages from his waist all the way up to his neck. Shiro's face was pale and his breathing was light. "Shiro-chan."

Reaching over Rukia grasped her son's hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. "Hey Shiro-chan it's Mom. Can you hear me kiddo?"

There was no response from the young boy and, after a few moments, Rukia's gaze shifted back to her husband. "Ichigo, how is everyone doing?"

"You, Shiro and Renji are the only ones still in the infirmary," Ichigo told her. "Captain Erisawa and Hisagi were both treated and released, as were my officers."

Rukia's gaze went back down to her unconscious son and she felt her heart go out to him. "Ichigo, this isn't his fault. If anyone's to blame for this, then it's us. We're the ones who brought him here and we're the ones who kept the information about Hitsugaya from him."

Ichigo nodded. "I know."

"Has Head Captain Ukitake said anything about what he's going to do about this incident?" Rukia asked softly, fear for her son evident in her voice.

"I haven't spoken to him," Ichigo said, wishing that he could alleviate her fears but knowing that he could not. "I've spent the evening going back and forth from your room to Shiro's."

Rukia nodded, her gaze going back to her son. "He looks bad."

Ichigo's eyes dropped to the ground, guilt for what he'd done to his son once again consuming him. "I didn't want to fight him but there wasn't any other choice. If I hadn't stepped in then someone else would have gotten hurt, maybe even killed. And you're not going to believe this Rukia but the kid was actually a match for me. I don't know where he was getting all of that power from but I couldn't get the upper hand, not even with the Hollow transformation. I was on the verge of using Bankai along with the Hollow when you showed up and. . ."

Rukia nodded once more, knowing what had happened after that. "I don't know what happened but I do know that none of this is his fault."

"I know," Ichigo said. "It's ours."

The sound of the door sliding open behind them jarred the two parents from their thoughts about their son and both Ichigo and Rukia turned to see who the visitor was. They had been expecting someone from Squad Four however their questioning gazes fell upon Hinamori instead. The former vice-captain's face was pale as she stared first at Ichigo and Rukia and then down at Shiro.

"I heard what happened," Hinamori whispered in a barely audible voice, slowly walking further into the room. There were tears in her chocolate colored eyes as she gazed at the little boy who was lying so still in the bed. "But I didn't want to believe it."

Hinamori's horrified gaze remained focused on Shiro and her face paled even further as she took in the severity of his injuries. It was obvious to her from the bandages that covered a large percentage of his body that the young boy's condition was fairly serious and it was as though she were once again gazing at her best friend, being forced to watch him die all over again.

"Ichigo," Rukia said softly, motioning toward the shocked young woman. She was slightly concerned for Hinamori, who looked as though she were about to pass out.

Ichigo nodded his head in understanding and got to his feet. He walked over to the spot where Hinamori stood on shaky legs and he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Upon feeling the touch Hinamori's eyes widened as though she were awakening from a dream and she gazed up into Ichigo's brown eyes. "It's okay Momo. Shiro's going to be just fine and so is everyone else."

Hinamori nodded, hoping against hope that the Squad Five Captain spoke the truth.

Ichigo led Hinamori over to the spot where Rukia sat by Shiro's bedside and then he quickly located a chair for her. "Here," he said as he placed the chair beside the one in which Rukia sat. "Sit down before you collapse Momo. Squad Four's had enough work to do today without you adding to it."

Hinamori nodded and sat down beside Rukia, placing a hand on her protruding abdomen.

Rukia reached over and gripped Hinamori's hand in a comforting manner. She knew how hard it was for Hinamori to see Shiro like this because of the fact that it reminded her of the day that Hitsugaya had died and, recalling how depressed she'd been after that, Rukia sought to offer her comfort.

"He's going to be fine Momo," Rukia said.

Hinamori nodded once more. "So who's keeping the babies while you're here in Soul Society?" Hinamori knew that Rukia wouldn't leave Shiro while he was in this condition and Ichigo would be where Rukia was and that meant that someone else would have to watch their twins.

"My sister Yuzu is watching them," Ichigo replied. "They're in good hands."

Hinamori nodded, once again rubbing the bulge where her own baby was tossing about restlessly. It was as though the unborn child sensed it's mother's anguish.

The trio sat in silence for a little while, each lost in their own thoughts, and then Rukia suddenly released both her hold on her son's hand and her hold on Hinamori's and clutched her head in her hands. Her vision was blurry and she felt as though she were going to pass out. Ichigo was immediately at his wife's side. "Rukia are you okay?"

"I'm okay," Rukia whispered, gazing up at her husband. "Just a little dizzy."

"I think you should eat something and get some rest," Ichigo told her, concern for her evident in his voice.

Rukia shook her head. "I can't leave Shiro."

Hinamori gazed over at Rukia, wanting to help out with the situation. "If you'd like I'll sit with him while you go and get something to eat Rukia."

Rukia briefly debated Hinamori's offer and then she nodded. "Alright, I'll go and get something to eat. But I'm coming right back here after that. I want to be with Shiro when he wakes up and it's not like I'd be able to rest anyway, knowing that he's injured."

"Fair enough," Ichigo said, scooping his wife up into his arms. He knew that this compromise was the best that he could hope for and hopefully Rukia would feel better once she'd gotten something to eat. Hinamori watched as Ichigo and Rukia left the room and then she turned her attention back to the young boy who was lying so still in the bed. She leaned forward and grasped his pale hand in her own, giving it a comforting squeeze as she stared down at him with tears in her chocolate colored eyes.

"It's going to be okay Shiro-chan," she whispered to the young boy in a comforting voice. "I know it doesn't seem that way at the moment but I promise that everything will work out in the end."

There was no response from the boy, not that Hinamori had really expected it. She merely continued to hold his hand in her own and whisper words of comfort that she wasn't even really sure that he could hear. It was true that this boy had attacked her husband, along with countless other Shinigami, however she also knew without a doubt that it was in no way his fault. Something had happened to cause this normally loving boy to lose control of himself and hurt those he cared about, that was the only way to explain it.

"Momo."

Hinamori turned toward the sound of the voice that was softly calling out to her and her gaze fell upon her husband, who was standing in the doorway.

"Isane told me that I'd find you here," Hisagi said as he stepped inside the semi-darkened room. He slowly made his way over to the spot where his pregnant wife sat, Shiro's small hand still clutched in her own. "Are you okay Momo?"

Hinamori nodded, touched that he'd been concerned for her well being even after he'd been injured in a battle with the child that she was now comforting. "I'm okay Shuhei but what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at home resting?"

"I'm okay," Hisagi assured her as he came to stand behind her chair. He placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze. "The members of Squad Four really know their stuff and I'm not at home resting because I was worried about you."

"I had to come and see him," Hinamori whispered, her gaze focused on the young boy. "I heard from Matsumoto what happened but I didn't want to believe it and I had to come and see for myself."

"I'm really sorry Momo," Hisagi said in a quiet voice, his gaze shifting from his wife to the young boy who, only a few hours previous, had attempted to kill him. He knew that this had to be hard for her, owing to the fact that Shiro was a constant reminder of the friend that she had lost, and he really felt sorry for his wife. Sensing the concern that her husband felt, Hinamori patted the chair that sat beside her and, taking the hint, Hiagi sat down.

"You don't blame him for what happened do you Shuhei?" There was a slightly pleading expression in Hinamori's brown eyes as she asked her husband this question. She had to know the answer and yet at the same time she was scared of what he might say. Could she really handle it if her husband harbored hatred for the boy that she loved?

Without a moment's hesitation Hisagi shook his head. "No I don't blame Shiro for what happened. I have no idea what happened to cause him to be like that but I know for a fact that the person I fought against was not Shiro. The look in his eyes was so cold, completely unfeeling. Our little Shiro may be many things, mischievous being at the top of the list, however he has never been uncaring."

Hinamori smiled softly to herself, her husband's words giving her a comfort that she couldn't describe. Surely if the people that he'd fought against realized that Shiro wasn't to blame for his actions then Head Captain Ukitake would see things the same way. There was just no way that they could punish the boy for something that had been outside of his control.

_"Please let it be true," _she thought to herself as she continued to grasp Shiro's hand in her own.

Sensing her worry and seeking to offer her what comfort he could, Hisagi reached over and picked up his wife's free hand. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and, with a small smile, Hinamori returned the pressure.

* * *

Hinamori and Hisagi were still sitting this way an hour later when Ichigo returned to his son's room, his wife held gently in his arms. The Squad Thirteen Captain quickly got to his feet so that Ichigo could place Rukia in the chair that he had occupied.

"I'm glad to see that you're okay Shuhei," Rukia said in a quiet voice, for once refraining from addressing him with his title.

"Good as new," Hisagi said, picking up on the unusual familiarity. He'd been trying for years to get Rukia to address him with his first name or to at least call him by his last, without adding the captain part, and it seemed as though she had finally decided to listen.

"I'm really sor. . ."

"Don't apologize," Hisagi said, interrupting her words.

Rukia stared up at the man in disbelief, not sure exactly why he was telling her not to apologize on her son's behalf. Could it be that he actually blamed the young boy for what had happened?

"It's really not necessary," Hisagi continued, in a softer voice.

"Thank you Shuhei," Rukia said quietly, now fully aware of Hisagi's reasoning. He realized that the attack hadn't been Shiro's fault and therefore an apology wasn't necessary. She could only hope that the others would share that sentiment.

A/N- and thus ends yet another chapter. This one didn't end too badly, comparitively speaking anyway. Hope you enjoyed and please review and let me know what you thought. Thanx so much to everyone who reviewed last chapter and all previous chapters. You guys are great. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	43. Identity Crisis

Disclaimer - I do not own bleach, that honor belongs to Kubo Tite

Chapter Forty-Three - Identity Crisis

Ichigo and Rukia spent the next three days at Shiro's side. The boy still had not regained consciousness after his fight with Ichigo and his parents were beginning to grow concerned. They had been at their son's bedside ever since Rukia had been released from the infirmary, leaving only long enough to grab a quick bite to eat every now and then, and had yet to speak with the Head Captain. Their concern was solely for their son, they would deal with everything else once they knew for certain that Shiro was going to recover.

Ichigo and Rukia were sitting side by side next to Shiro's bed and Rukia had her head leaning against Ichigo's shoulder however they both glanced backward as they heard the door open. The couple were expecting Captain Unohana or Isane and their eyes widened as Head Captain Ukitake stepped inside the room.

"Ukitake," Ichigo said in a quiet tone of voice, not having expected to see the Head Captain.

"Can I speak with the two of you for a few minutes?"

Ichigo and Rukia both nodded and got to their feet. With a glance down at her son, Rukia followed her husband across the room to the spot where Head Captain Ukitake stood. This was the first time they'd seen Ukitake since the incident with Shiro and they were wondering what he wanted to speak with them about.

"How is he?" Ukitake asked quietly.

"His wounds are healing okay," Ichigo replied, his gaze shifting back over to his son. "But he still hasn't woken up."

Ukitake nodded. He'd felt compelled to ask about the boy's condition even though Unohana had been giving him a daily report. "According to Retsu, Shiro's mind needs time to heal as well as his body, kind of like how he always slept for several hours after experiencing one of his episodes. She thinks that's the reason for his coma."

"I think we should have told him about Captain Hitsugaya," Rukia said in a quiet voice, unshed tears glistening in her violet eyes. "Those memories nearly destroyed him, as well as Soul Society and the world of the living."

Head Captain Ukitake nodded, an expression of extreme guilt appearing on his face. "You're right. In hindsight I can see that it would have been better to tell him that he was Hitsugaya's reincarnation however at the time I was afraid that telling him would cause a similar reaction."

"It's okay," Ichigo said. "We were afraid of the same thing, which is why we never told him the truth. It's certainly not because you ordered us not to."

"May I speak with the two of you in my office?" Ukitake asked.

Rukia and Ichigo nodded and the three of them turned and left the room.

_"So that's the big secret that everyone was so determined to hide from me," _Shiro thought to himself as he listened to Ukitake and his parents leave his room. _"So I'm the reincarnation of the captain that everyone refuses to talk about. Which means that these visions I've been having are his memories. I knew it!"_

Shiro abruptly sat up and threw back the blanket that he was covered with. The wounds on his shoulders and chest protested the sudden movement but Shiro ignored the pain and got to his feet. He had to get away from this room, he needed to go somewhere to think. Shiro walked across the room and slowly slid the door open, trying as he did so to make as little noise as possible. He couldn't remember anything that had happened after his fight with Ukitake, his memory was completely blank, however when he'd came to he'd been standing over his bleeding mother holding a blood-stained zanpaktou so he knew that he'd stabbed her and he was fairly sure that she hadn't been the only casualty. This meant that he more than likely would not be allowed to leave Squad Four if anyone saw him however thankfully the corridor was empty and Shiro managed to slip away from his room and out of Squad Four without being detected.

_"I'll just have to sneak out,"_ the boy thought to himself. _"I have to get away from this place."_

* * *

When they arrived at the Squad One office Ukitake slid the door open and motioned for Ichigo and Rukia to step inside. They did and he stepped in after them, closing the door as he did so. "Please have a seat," Ukitake said, gesturing toward the sofa that was in the center of the room.

With a glance toward one another Ichigo and Rukia sat down side by side on the sofa. Ukitake sat down beside Rukia and turned slightly sideways so that he could see them both. "Vice-Captain Kurosaki," the Head Captain began, his voice very business-like.

"Yes sir?" Rukia said, thinking that he was about to hand down her punishment for the fight with Byakuya.

"Captain Kuchiki has accepted full responsibility for allowing you to leave Soul Society and travel to the world of the living in pursuit of Toushirou," Ukitake said. "So that's the end of that matter."

Rukia's eyes widened in shock and in spite of herself she felt a little angry about this statement. So her brother had told the Head Captain that he'd allowed her to leave. Had he done it to save face and keep people from knowing that he'd lost a fight to his sister, a mere vice-captain or had his intentions been more noble? _"_Allowed me?"

Ukitake ignored Rukia's confusion and his gaze went to Ichigo. "And Captain Kurosaki, since I never ordered you not to go that matter is settled as well."

Ichigo nodded however this wasn't the topic he wanted to discuss. "What about Shiro?"

Ukitake sighed and shook his head.

* * *

After leaving the infirmary Shiro made his way out to District One of the Rukongai. There was a river there that he'd discovered as a small boy while playing hide and seek with one of his baby-sitters and he liked to go there and think. The sounds of the river had always relaxed him and allowed him to think more clearly. Shiro sat down under a large cherry tree, pulled his knees up to his chin and wrapped his arms around them protectively. "I can't believe they've known this whole time that I'm the reincarnation of a captain and they never saw fit to tell me. Captain of Squad Ten, Toushirou Hitsugaya. . ."

The boy's thoughts flashed to an office. So much paperwork. Then he saw Matsumoto sleeping on the sofa. Shiro couldn't help but smile at this sight. Apparently Matsumoto hadn't had as much work ethic when she'd been the Squad Ten vice-captain. Thankfully, now that Shiro knew what the visions were and didn't feel the need to fight against them, they were no longer painful. This meant that, for the first time, Shiro could focus on the visions and truly get what was happening.

The memory abruptly changed and he was gazing up at a young Hinamori. She was smiling brightly and dressed in the uniform of the Shinigami Academy. "I'm leaving now Shirou-chan. I'll come back to visit you soon okay?"

_"She called him Shiro-chan also," _Shiro thought to himself as he opened his eyes.

* * *

Isane made her way down the hall, on her way to check on Shiro, however when she slid the door open her eyes widened in disbelief. The boy's bed was empty and the room was completely deserted. _"Oh no," _Isane thought to herself as she turned and left the room. _"Where could he have gone?"_

After a quick search of the Squad Four barracks, which turned up no sign of Shiro, Isane made her way to the Head Captain's office. Knocking on the door, she called out, "Vice-captain of Squad Four, Isane Kotetsu, requesting a meeting with Head Captain Ukitake."

"Enter."

Isane quickly opened the door and stepping into the office but she froze the moment she saw that Rukia and Ichigo were with the Head Captain.

"What do you need Isane?" Ukitake asked.

"We have a problem sir," Isane told him, her eyes avoiding those of Rukia and Ichigo.

"What is it?" Ukitake wanted to know.

"Shiro's gone," Isane told him.

"What?!" Rukia and Ichigo both exclaimed jumping to their feet.

"I went to his room to check on him and he wasn't there," Isane told them. "I searched Squad Four but he was nowhere to be found. I'm really sorry sir."

"It's not your fault Isane," Ukitake said in an understanding voice. "We'll assemble a search party immediately."

* * *

Shiro propped his chin on his knees and closed his eyes, once more allowing his mind to connect with the memories of the late captain of Squad Ten. This time he was confronting a man with glasses, dressed in a captain's coat. Shiro had learned about the traitor captains and the war that had been fought against them from Urahara a few years ago and thus he knew exactly who he was seeing in this memory.

Aizen.

Facing the traitor captain he snarled out the words, "Bankai, Daiguren Hyourinmaru!"

Ice erupted from the hilt of his sword and completely swallowed his arm. At the same moment giant wings of ice sprouted from his back, wrapping forward to form armor. He flew toward Aizen however the attack failed and he fell to the ground. The vision changed at this point and he found himself facing Aizen once more. Aizen sneered and glanced over at two figures, a few yards away. It was Rukia and Hinamori and Aizen pointed his sword toward them, in a taunting manner.

Aizen unleashed an attack, intended to kill the two women, however with a mighty flap of his wings Hitsugaya jumped in front of the attack at the last possible second, the frightened faces of Rukia and Hinamori the last thing he saw before. . .

Shiro gasped as he came back to himself, the vision having provided him with a startling revelation. "That's how he died. He sacrificed himself to save Mom and Momo."

With this realization a new thought entered Shiro's mind. Everyone but him had known that he was Hitsugaya's reincarnation so had that been the reason why they took him in when they found him at that orphanage seven years ago?

_"Did they just adopt me because I used to be HIM?" _Shiro thought to himself.

* * *

"Alright everyone," Ukitake spoke up, addressing the group that had been assembled to search for Shiro. "The reason I summoned you here is that Toushirou has gone missing from the infirmary and we need to find him ASAP."

The group all nodded.

"We're going to split up and search the Seireitei for the boy," Ukitake informed them. "And I want you all to be careful. None of us have spoken to Toushirou since he regained consciousness so we have no idea what state of mind he's in. Find him and return him to the infirmary but take no unnecessary risks."

"Understood," the group chorused in one voice.

"Dismissed."

* * *

Shiro's mind was racing as more memories flashed before his eyes. Momo, his mom and dad, Hisagi, Ukitake, everyone who supposedly cared about him in Soul Society, all of them could be linked to Captain Hitsugaya in one way or another.

_"Is that why they care about me?"_ Shiro thought to himself, his hands gripping the sides of his head. _"When they look at me is he the one they're really seeing?"_

Tears appeared in the young boy's eyes as his mother's face flashed before his eyes. Hitsugaya had saved her life at the cost of his own. That act had more than likely caused her to feel a tremendous amount of guilt about his death. Had adopting Shiro, the young captain's reincarnation, merely been a way of relieving those feelings of guilt?

_"What am I to them?" _Shiro thought miserably.

* * *

_"Alright," _Ichigo thought to himself as he left the Squad One office. Stopping just outside the door Ichigo focused his mind and attempted to locate his son's reiatsu. However after only a few moments it became clear that Shiro had anticipated that action and placed a kidou barrier around himself to hide his reiatsu from detection.

"Dammit!" Ichigo swore. "That boy's too smart for our own good. I guess it's on to Plan B."

Ichigo groaned at the thought of using Plan B, which consisted of systematically searching the Seireitei one area at a time. Growling low in his throat Ichigo thought, _"I think we may need more people."_

As the other members of the search party emerged from Ukitake's office they all tried the same tactic as Ichigo, with similar results. Not one among them could pick up on the boy's reiatsu. With a collective sigh they all used their flash-step and split up to search for Shiro.

Rukia was the last of the group to leave the Head Captain's office and she too paused at the door however she didn't even attempt to trace Shiro's reiatsu. She knew her son well enough to know that he would have taken steps to guard his reiatsu from detection so instead she gazed at her surroundings in an appraising sort of way.

_"Okay, if I were a scared and confused ten year old where would I go?"_

A river immediately came to mind. _"That's it," _Rukia thought to herself as she walked away from the Squad One barracks. There was a river surrounded by a large grove of trees in District One of the Rukongai and Shiro had often gone there when he'd been either depressed or in trouble. And since she had a feeling that he would feel as though he were both depressed and in trouble at the moment Rukia felt certain that she would find him there. Leaving the Seireitei Rukia made her way through District One and when she arrived at the river she saw her son leaning against a tree, his knees drawn up and his face buried in the fabric of the white robe that he was wearing.

"Shiro-chan," she called out softly as she slowly approached her son.

Shiro jumped at the sound of his mother's voice and he gazed up in surprise. Rukia was standing only a few feet away from him and Shiro's mind suddenly flashed to an image of her lying on the ground in a pool of blood, the only memory he had from the events of a few days ago. Shiro quickly turned his head away, too ashamed to face her.

"Shiro-chan," Rukia said again as she walked over and sat down beside him. "What's the matter?"

Shiro's gaze remained downcast and he didn't answer. He couldn't remember what he'd done however the memory of her lying on the ground in a pool of blood and him standing over her with a bloody sword in hand would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Rukia placed her hand on her son's shoulder. "You know you can tell me anything Shiro."

Shiro gazed over at his mother and his mind flashed to Hitsugaya's memories of her. "I heard you and Dad talking to Ukitake and I know the reason why no one will talk to me about Captain Hitsugaya. I know that I'm his reincarnation."

Rukia's expression was sympathetic as she gazed over at her son. "I'm really sorry Shiro but we only hid that knowledge from you to protect you."

Shiro's eyes went to his clasped hands, as he thought about what he'd heard Ukitake and his parents talking about, and he whispered, "I can't even remember what I did. I remember that I was mad at Ukitake and on my way back home but then my memory goes straight to me holding a bloody sword and you lying on the ground."

The boy's voice broke as he said this and Rukia quickly wrapped her arms around her son. "Nothing that happened was your fault Shiro-chan. Do you hear me?"

Shiro nodded as his mother held him however he knew that her words were more comfort than fact. He was responsible for his actions, whether he could remember them or not. "Mom. . . there's something I have to ask you."

"What is it Shiro?"

"Is the fact that I'm Captain Hitsugaya's reincarnation the only reason you and Dad adopted me?"

Rukia heard the pain in the young boy's voice and it absolutely broke her heart. "I won't lie to you Shiro, that's how it started in the beginning. Your appearance, the fact that you looked so eerily similar to Hitsugaya, is what caught our eye."

"I see."

"Listen to me Shiro-chan," Rukia said and she did not continue speaking until her son's gaze was focused on her. "The fact that you looked like Hitsugaya is the reason we took you in but its not the reason we love you. You're our son and nothing can change that."

Shiro nodded and placed his head on his mother's shoulder. Rukia wrapped her arm around him and stroked his snow white hair. "Everything's going to be okay Shiro-chan."

Rukia sat holding her son for awhile and then she gazed down at him. "We should go back to the Seireitei. Everyone's worried and besides you shouldn't be out of bed. Look, you're covered in blood, which means your wounds have reopened. What were you thinking?"

Shiro couldn't help but smile as he listened to his mother's scolding. Shrugging he slowly got to his feet.

"Come on," Rukia said, wrapping an arm around his shoulder.

"Any luck Ichigo?" Hisagi called out as the two captains met up outside the Squad Ten barracks.

Ichigo shook his head. "No. I have no idea where he is but I can tell you about fifty places that he's not."

"Same here," Hisagi said. "In hindsight I'm not so sure it was a good idea for Momo to teach him the barrier kidou."

"If she hadn't Rukia would have," Ichigo said. "It keeps the Hollow from coming after him but it's a real pain in the ass if you're trying to find him."

"I've noticed," Hisagi said.

When Rukia and Shiro arrived back at the Seireitei Rukia immediately led the way to the Squad Four barracks.

"Rukia you found him," Isane called out as mother and son walked through the door.

"Yea," Rukia said. "And he seems to have over exerted himself just a little bit."

Isane's gaze swept over the boy and took in the large blood stain on the front of his white robe. "I see what you mean. Well come on Shiro and we'll get you patched up, again."

"I'll be back in a few," Rukia said. "I'm going to go let everyone know that I found him."

Isane nodded.

Leaving Squad Four Rukia made her way across the Seireitei to the Head Captain's office. Rukia knocked on the door once and then entered the office, without even waiting for an invitation. Head Captain Ukitake was seated at his desk and Rukia quickly walked over to him.

"I found him."

Ukitake heaved a sigh. "And?"

"He's okay," Rukia said. "But he heard us talking about the fact that he was Hitsugaya's reincarnation."

"Damn," Ukitake said. "That's not how I would have chosen for him to find out. How did he take it?"

"He's confused," Rukia said. "He asked me if that was the only reason why we took him in. I think he'll be okay though, I told him that's why we took him in but not why we love him."

Ukitake nodded. Rukia had a definite way with situations like that. "I'll send messages to the others and tell them that Toushirou's been found."

* * *

Shiro spent the next three days in the infirmary, recovering from his wounds. Then, on the fourth day after he regained consciousness, Shiro was lying in bed, lost in thought, when he heard the sound of the door being opened. The boy sat up and watched as Isane walked toward him, holding some folded up clothing in her arms.

"Shiro," Isane said quietly as she came to a stop beside his bed. "You've been summoned to the Squad One barracks so I brought some clothes for you."

Shiro accepted the clothes that she offered him, his face devoid of emotion.

"I'll leave you alone so that you can get dressed." And with that Isane turned and left the room.

With a sigh Shiro got out of bed, removed the white robe that he was wearing, and pulled on the shihakusho that Isane had left him. Then, once he was dressed, Shiro walked across the room and opened the door. When he stepped out of his room Shiro saw that Isane was standing in the hallway with Captain Madarame and Captain Matsumoto.

"Shiro," Isane said as the boy stepped out of his room. "Captains Matsumoto and Madarame are here to escort you to the Head Captain's office."

Shiro nodded.

"Come on Toushirou," Captain Madarame said.

So Shiro made his way across the Seireitei, with a captain walking on either side of him. _"This is going to be bad," _the boy thought to himself as the group walked toward the Squad One barracks. He'd been dreading this meeting for several days, having known that it was only a matter of time before the Head Captain wanted to talk to him, and his escort did nothing to ease his worries. He must be in serious trouble if Ukitake sent a couple of captains to make sure that he arrived at Squad One.

When they arrived at the Head Captain's office, Captain Madarame knocked on the door. "Captain of Squad Eleven, Ikkaku Madarame, along with Captain Matsumoto and Toushirou Kurosaki, reporting sir."

"Enter."

Captain Madarame slid the door open and the group stepped inside the office. Glancing around the room, Shiro saw Head Captain Ukitake, his parents, Byakuya, Renji, Hisagi, and the Captain of Squad Three. _"Yea, this is bad."_

"Toushirou," Ukitake called out.

"Yes sir?"

Ukitake motioned for the boy to come to the front of the room and Shiro obeyed without hesitation. He walked across the room, past the group of captains, and came to a stop in front of the Head Captain.

"Toushirou Kurosaki," Ukitake said in a very formal tone of voice. "You have been summoned in front of this group to hear the list of charges against you."

Shiro nodded.

Ukitake pulled a piece of paper from the fold of his shihakusho and unfolded it. "You are hereby charged with the unprovoked attack and serious injury of Squad Nine Captain Renji Abarai, the unprovoked attack and serious injury of Squad Three Captain Natsumi Erisawa, the unprovoked attack and serious injury of Squad Thirteen Captain Shuhei Hisagi, engaging in battle with Squad Five Captain Ichigo Kurosaki, the illegal use of Bankai while inside the Seireitei. . ."

Shiro had been listening quietly up until this point, not able to remember any of the crimes for which he was charged, however the bit about Bankai gave him pause. _"Wait a minute. . . I haven't even achieved Bankai!"_

Ukitake folded the piece of paper, placed it back inside the fold of his shihakusho and gazed over at Shiro. "All of these are Class One offenses, as I'm sure you are aware. Do you have anything to say for yourself Toushirou?"

Shiro gazed around the room and then looked up at Head Captain Ukitake. "What can I say? I accept full responsibility for my actions."

Ukitake placed his hand on Shiro's shoulder. "Good answer Toushirou. However, seeing as you weren't in your right mind at the time, there's nothing for you to accept responsibility for."

Shiro's eyes widened. That was not what he'd been expecting to hear and he stared up at the Head Captain in disbelief.

Head Captain Ukitake stared down at the boy. "Shiro did you actually think that I would punish you for something that was outside of your control?"

"To be completely honest with you, yes."

Shaking his head Ukitake gazed around the room. "You're all dismissed."

The captains, and Rukia, all nodded and filed out of the room, leaving Head Captain Ukitake and Shiro alone.

"Shiro, what happened was more my fault than yours," Ukitake told the boy when they were alone. "I'm the one who issued the order that kept people from talking about Hitsugaya in front of you. And although I had your best interests in mind when I made that decision the fact remains that it was my fault. However I think its time for you to get acquainted with your former self. Come with me."

Ukitake turned and left the office, followed closely behind by Shiro. Ukitake led the way across the Seireitei to the library and, once they arrived the Head Captain led the way to a small back room that housed the archives. Ukitake opened the door and motioned for Shiro to enter the room. Shiro complied and stepped inside the cramped little room. Ukitake followed the boy inside and closed the door behind them. The Head Captain walked the seven steps from the door to the other side of the room, where a shelf full of folders stood and grabbed a binder from the top shelf. The thick binder was white and marked with the Squad Ten symbol.

"You have got to be kidding me," Shiro exclaimed as his gaze focused on the notebook that Ukitake held in his hands. "Has that been there the entire time?"

Ukitake nodded. "I knew you'd never look here so I didn't bother to hide it."

"Well that's depressing," Shiro muttered.

Head Captain Ukitake motioned toward a small table that was pushed up against the right wall and Shiro walked over to it and sat down. Ukitake sat down in the chair beside him and together they read through the file on Captain Hitsugaya.

"So I was right," Shiro said when he and Ukitake reached the end of the file. "He was killed by Aizen while attempting to protect Mom and Momo."

Ukitake nodded, a sad look in his eyes. "Momo took it really hard. Hitsugaya was her best friend, and had been since childhood. When he died she became extremely depressed and suicidal for awhile so it would probably be for the best if you didn't mention anything about it in front of her."

Shiro nodded. "I understand."

"Squad Twelve has some footage of some of Hitsugaya's battles," Ukitake said as he got to his feet. "The next time you come for training we'll have to watch them."

Shiro gazed up at Ukitake in surprise. "You mean you're still going to train me?"

"Of course," Ukitake told him. "No one blames you for what happened Shiro, we discussed this before you arrived at the Squad One conference room, and now that you know about Hitsugaya there should be no reason for it to happen again. Therefore your training will continue and life will go on as usual."

Shiro got to his feet. "Thank you."

Ukitake smiled down at the boy. "I've got to get back to work. Try to stay out of trouble Shiro."

Shiro nodded and watched as Head Captain Ukitake left the small room. Placing the binder back on its shelf, Shiro left the room, closing the door behind himself. Not sure where his parents were Shiro walked across the Seireitei, to the Squad Ten barracks. Without even bothering to knock Shiro slid the door open and when he stepped inside the office, he saw that Matsumoto was sitting at her desk and had her head resting on her arms, fast asleep. A sudden image of a scene almost exactly like this flashed into Shiro's mind.

With an evil grin, Shiro barked out, **"MATSUMOTO!"**

Matsumoto's eyes popped open and she jumped to her feet. "Yes Captain!"

Shaking his head Shiro gazed over at the Squad Ten Captain. Matsumoto glanced over and her eyes widened even farther. Shiro wore a look so reminiscent of Captain Hitsugaya that Matsumoto actually had to look at him twice. "Shiro! That wasn't very nice."

"Why not?" Shiro asked as he made his way across the room. "Did I make you have horrible flash-backs from your days as a vice-captain Ran-san?"

"Shiro," Matsumoto said, gazing at the boy in confusion. "Then you know. . ."

"I know everything," Shiro said.

A/N- and thus ends yet another chapter. Now Shiro knows the truth of who he was although he had to go through hell to find out. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review and tell me what you thought. and also please stick with the story cause there are still a few things to learn about our little snowy haired hero. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	44. Confrontation

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach, never have and never will. That honor belongs to Kubo Tite

Chapter Forty-Four - Confrontation

Once Shiro had been cleared of any willful wrong-doing in the attacks he and his parents spent one final night in Soul Society and then traveled back through the Senkaimon back to their home in the world of the living. When they arrived home Shiro immediately told his parents that he was leaving again. The boy had a pressing desire to see Kasumi and although it wasn't a feeling that he could explain Shiro somehow knew that he had to act upon it. He needed to see his best friend and this need wasn't something that he could postpone. It was an urgent, pressing need which he could feel in his heart.

"I'll be home later," the boy called out over his shoulder as he headed toward the front door.

"Alright," Rukia said, a slightly worried expression on her face as she watched her son depart. "Just be careful Shiro-chan."

"I will," Shiro called out, without even turning around.

Rukia heaved a small sigh as she listened to the front door close and, sensing her concern, Ichigo walked over to his wife and wrapped his arm around her shoulders in a comforting manner. Feeling the gentle pressure of his arm around her Rukia turned and gazed up into her husband's brown eyes.

"He'll be fine Rukia," Ichigo said in a quiet voice, knowing even without her telling him, exactly what was troubling her. "Shiro knows everything now. There's absolutely no reason to believe that anything will happen to him."

"I know," Rukia said, a concerned expression in her violet eyes. "But. . ."

Ichigo held up his finger, cutting her words short. "No buts. Think about it; before he knew the truth Shiro had gotten to the point where he was having multiple visions every day. Now he hasn't had one since that incident."

"That we know of," Rukia muttered, not really trusting her son to tell them if he were still experiencing the visions. After everything that the young boy had been through Rukia would completely understand if he were still having the visions and chose to keep that knowledge to himself. After all it's not as though any of them had really helped him with the problem, all they'd done was make it worse.

"And so what if he still is?" Ichigo countered, realizing that she wasn't going to let the matter go. It would take some time before Rukia ceased to worry about her son and Ichigo couldn't really blame her for those feelings. After all, they had almost lost him to those damned visions. "He knows the truth about Captain Hitsugaya now, knows what the visions are. He's going to be just fine."

"I hope you're right," Rukia said in a voice that was barely above a whisper. She knew that there was no possible way for her to keep an eye on her son twenty four hours a day and even if she could she knew that it would be wrong of her to do so. All she could do was hope that her son's troubles were indeed over, as Ichigo assured her that they were.

"Come on," Ichigo said, offering his wife a smile. "We should probably go to my dad's place and collect Kaien and Masaki before they forget that they have parents."

Rukia chuckled as she slapped Ichigo on the chest in a playful manner. "Like anyone could forget you."

* * *

After Shiro left his own house the young boy made his way quickly to the Ishida residence. The familiar trip took less than ten minutes and when Shiro arrived at the house where his best friend lived with her parents he knocked softly on the door and then took a couple of steps back, to wait. A few minutes passed and then the door opened to reveal Kasumi's dad. There was a strange expression in Uryu's eyes as he gazed down at his young visitor that Shiro couldn't help but notice and the young boy found himself hoping that he hadn't done anything to offend or anger his best friend's dad. _"Oh man," _the young boy thought to himself as he gazed up into Uryu's stern face. _"I REALLY hope I didn't do anything to him. He already thinks that I'm a bad influence on his daughter."_

"Hello Toushirou," Uryu said, breaking into the young boy's thoughts.

Shiro blinked his eyes a couple of times and as his gaze refocused on Uryu he saw that the strange look had left the man's eyes. _"Maybe I imagined the whole thing," _he thought to himself in confusion. _"Weird."_

"Is there something I can help you with Toushirou?" Uryu asked, gazing down at the young boy with a questioning expression in his eyes. "Or did you just come by to have a staring contest with me?"

"Sorry," Shiro muttered, realizing that his actions had been inadvertently rude. He offered Uryu an apologetic look. "I just came by to see Kasumi. Is she home?"

Uryu shook his head. "I'm afraid not. She and Heikichi went out a couple of hours ago."

For some reason that was completely unknown to him Shiro found himself feeling slightly annoyed that Kasumi and Heikichi were hanging out together without him. To the best of his knowledge that had never happened before. "Do you happen to know where they went?" he asked Uryu in a hopeful voice.

Once again Uryu shook his head. "Sorry but Kasumi didn't tell me where they were going and I didn't ask."

"That's okay," Shiro said with a shrug. It would have made things easier for him had Kasumi's father known where his two friends had gone however finding them was in no way impossible. He had the perfect tools for the job. "I'll find them. Thanks Ishida-san."

Uryu nodded and watched as the young boy walked away. He'd noticed the flicker of annoyance that had flashed across the young boy's blue-green eyes when he'd mentioned the fact that Kasumi had gone somewhere with Heikichi and it amused him to a small degree, he had to admit. Orihime had bee speculating for years that the two children would end up as more than friends and Uryu had the feeling that he'd just witnessed the first hint that her theory was correct.

Now that he knew that he'd have to look for his friend Shiro walked away from the Ishida residence, searching for signs of either Kasumi or Heikichi's reiatsu. It wasn't long before Shiro felt the combined reiatsu of both of his friends and he easily traced it to the park where the three of them frequently hung out.

Once he passed through the gate that led into the park Shiro quickly made his way to the edge of the park which was heavily wooded. He had ceased following his friends by their reiatsu at this point and was merely making his way to the spot where the three of them usually sat, beneath the largest tree in the park. And sure enough, as he approached the tree, Shiro saw both Kasumi and Heikichi seated on the ground beneath the tree.

Shiro drew up short as he caught the first glimpse of Heikichi that he'd had since his little misadventure. His thoughts kept flashing back and forth between the classmate that he had befriended to the traitor who had ended his previous incarnation's life. There really was an eerie similarity between the two of them just as there was an eerie similarity between himself and Hitsugaya.

_"Well aren't we just a couple of little freaks,"_ Shiro thought to himself.

Kasumi and Heikichi were deep in conversation however Kasumi stopped mid-sentence as her gaze focused on Shiro, who was quickly walking across the park toward the spot where she and Heikichi were sitting under their favorite tree. This was the first time that she'd laid eyes on her best friend since the day that he'd attacked her and Heikichi and the young girl felt herself tense for the barest of moments. _"Stop it," _she snapped to herself as Shiro came closer, annoyed by her own momentary feeling of fear. _"It's only Shiro-chan. He's been your best friend since you were three."_

As he approached the spot where his two best friends were sitting Shiro saw the flicker of fear that appeared in Kasumi's eyes for the briefest of moments. Shiro felt his pulse rate quicken in fear. Had she seen him that day? Had he. . . _"Please. . . tell me I didn't. . ." _he thought to himself as he gazed down into the face of his best friend. Kasumi had always been there for him and the thought that he might have inadvertently caused her pain was almost more than Shiro could bare.

"Hey Kurosaki!" Heikichi said from his spot beside Kasumi, his gaze focused intently on the young boy who was standing a few feet away.

"Kasumi," Shiro said in a quiet voice, completely ignoring Heikichi as he sank to his knees a few feet from the spot where Kasumi was sitting. "I didn't. . ."

"You tried," Heikichi replied, knowing the question that Shiro was going to ask and seeking to spare the younger boy the trauma of actually having to say the words. He knew that the question would have been difficult for Shiro to ask and just as difficult for Kasumi to answer. It was just easier for all of them for Shiro to learn the truth this way.

"I am so sorry," Shiro whispered in a quiet and sincere voice, his gaze focused on his best friend. He couldn't believe that he had actually raised his sword against his best friend and he was completely horrified. "I wasn't. . . I mean I didn't. . ."

"It's okay Shiro-chan," Kasumi said, now one hundred percent certain that her best friend was back to normal. "I know it wasn't your fault. It was those visions. . ."

At the mention of the visions that had plagued him for nearly two years Shiro noticed that a guilty expression appeared on Kasumi's face and even though she'd brought the subject up on her own she seemed to be uncomfortable talking about it. "You knew, didn't you?"

Kasumi winced at the accusing tone of his voice and her gaze left the face of her best friend and fell to the hands that she was holding clasped in her lap. She wanted to lie to him however she knew that she had to tell him the truth. "I knew."

So everyone had known what the visions really meant except for him. "How long have you known?"

"Since the first time I witnessed one of your episodes," Kasumi replied in a whisper, hating the fact that she'd had to keep the secret from him and as a result had caused him pain. "Shiro-chan I'm so sorry but your mother made me promise not to tell you."

"And as a result I nearly killed you," Shiro said, his voice filled with an unimaginable sorrow. He gazed over into his best friend's blue eyes, his own blue-green eyes plainly revealing the pain that was held within. "Do you have any idea what that would have done to me?"

"I'm sorry," Kasumi said, leaving her spot beside Heikichi and coming to sit beside Shiro. She wrapped her arms around him in a comforting hug. "Believe me Shiro-chan, if I could go back and change things then I'd do it in a heartbeat."

Shiro sighed and gazed into his best friend's eyes. Tears were now glistening within their blue depths and Shiro immediately felt guilty for making her cry, even though no tears had actually fallen. "It's okay Kasumi, I know it's not your fault. It's just hard to know that I was the only one in the dark about the situation that almost destroyed my life."

"Well Kurosaki," Heikichi said from his spot under the tree, breaking into their conversation now that he sensed that the danger was passed. "If it makes you feel any better I still have no idea what the hell's going on."

Shiro's gaze shifted from Kasumi to Heikichi and then back again. "You didn't tell him?"

Kasumi shook her head. "I didn't think it was my place to tell him and besides your mother made me promise not to tell anyone."

"Great," Shiro said with a groan, rolling his eyes in the direction of his friend. "So he pretty much just thinks that I'm a jerk because of what I did."

"Basically," Kasumi said in an attempt to lighten the mood, offering her best friend a playful grin. "But you can set him straight if you want Shiro-chan.

"Stop calling me that," Shiro said, his blue-green eyes narrowing slightly. "I'm not a little kid anymore."

"Yes you are," Heikichi said with a smirk.

Shiro pointed an index finger at Heikichi in warning, his eyes narrowing further. "Heikichi, don't make me hurt you."

Heikichi snorted. "As if you could."

Shiro pulled his Gikongan from his pocket and would have used it to assume his Shinigami form had Kasumi not taken it from him. "HEY!"

"If you boys don't settle down and behave yourselves," Kasumi said, holding Shiro's Gikongan just out of his reach.

"I could take that from you, you know," Shiro grumbled as he eyed the small, dragon headed device that she held in her hand.

"You could," Kasumi said, looking completely unconcerned. "But you won't."

"How do you know that?" Shiro demanded.

"I just know," Kasumi said simply.

The smug expression that Kasumi wore annoyed Shiro to no end and yet the boy found himself completely unable to argue with her. Her statement was cocky it was true however that didn't make it less of a fact. Shiro growled low under his breath however that was the only noise he made to show his displeasure over the situation.

"Hey," Heikichi called out, reminding his two friends that he was still there. "Hello. Are either of you going to enlighten me as to the situation with Kurosaki or not?"

"Not," Shiro said without a moment's pause.

"Oh that is so not right," Heikichi said, gazing over at Shiro with a look of utter disbelief on his face.

"Shiro-chan," Kasumi said.

"I told you to stop calling me that," Shiro said. "And I was only giving him a hard time. If he really wants to know what was up then I'll tell him."

Kasumi shook her head.

"Alright Heikichi," Shiro said, his gaze focused not on his friend but on the horizon behind the older boy's head. "Since you're the only one who remained in the dark as to the depths of my insanity allow me to enlighten you. I'm pretty much schizophrenic, only I take the insanity to a whole new level."

"Excuse me." Heikichi gaped at the younger boy in shock. He couldn't believe that Shiro had actually said something like that about himself.

Shiro smiled ruefully. "As it turns out I possess the reincarnated soul of a Shinigami, the deceased Captain of Squad Ten. His name was Toushirou Hitsugaya and as I grew older I began to experience flashes of his memories. I didn't know what these visions were but when they flashed through my mind it was like I lost all sense of myself. This happened to a more extreme degree when I found a picture of Hitsugaya, whom I look just like for the record, and everyone still refused to explain things to me. I kinda snapped and my mind went completely blank. I can't remember anything I did during this period. The next memory I have is of myself standing over my bleeding mother, holding a bloodstained zanpaktou."

The young boy paused at this point and Heikichi felt a momentary stab of guilt for making Shiro relive this horrible moment of his life. Then his guilt passed, replaced with a burning curiosity. "So do you still experience these visions?" Heikichi asked in a quiet and yet at the same time intense voice. "His memories?"

"It's strange," Shiro said in a thoughtful tone. "I know everything that he knew and I can call up his memories just as easily as I call up my own. Just like I said, schizophrenic."

"Shiro-chan you are not schizophrenic," Kasumi said, wrapping her arms even tighter around her friend.

Shiro sighed at her insistence on using that childish nickname however there was no denying the fact that he felt comforted by her embrace. The young boy had been so worried when he'd learned that he'd attacked his best friend during his little psychotic break however her warm embrace served to tell him that nothing had changed between them.

"What's up with that look?" Kasumi asked, noticing the small smile that her best friend was wearing.

"What look?" Shiro asked, seeming not to have noticed that he was smiling.

"Never mind," Kasumi said, shaking her head in exasperation. It didn't really matter that her friend hadn't realized he'd been smiling although it would have been nice to hear him admit the fact that he had emotions just like the rest of them. But no, her little Shiro-chan always had to act so tough.

"Okay, my turn," Shiro said, his gaze focused on Kasumi and one eyebrow raised. "What's up with THAT look?"

"You are impossible," Kasumi said, playfully slapping him on the arm.

"Hey now," Shiro snapped, his eyes narrowing as he continued to gaze in her direction. "You'd best watch it."

Kasumi smiled, not even remotely concerned by his barely veiled threat. "We've been through this Shiro-chan. You and I both know that you're not going to do anything so it's pointless to threaten me. Give it up already."

"One of these days," Shiro muttered darkly to himself, eyeing Kasumi in annoyance.

"Yea, yea," Kasumi said.

Shiro shook his head, his narrow-eyed gaze focused on his best friend. Unconcerned by Shiro's glaring look Kasumi merely offered the young boy a smile.

"You guys are both insane," Heikichi said, his gaze focused on the two younger kids.

Shiro gazed over at his classmate and saw a momentary flash of Hitsugaya's memories of the traitor Sousuke Aizen. Heikichi really did bare an uncanny resemblance to the man who'd ended the Squad Ten Captain's life. _"Should I tell him?" _Shiro briefly thought to himself.

Much like Shiro, Heikichi was the reincarnation of a Shinigami and had no clue to this fact. But unlike Shiro the older boy showed no signs that he remembered anything of his past life.

_"He's better off not knowing," _Shiro thought to himself finally, seeing flashes of Aizen's misdeeds. Nothing good could possibly come from telling Heikichi about Aizen, the man who had almost destroyed all of Soul Society. It might be slightly hypocritical for Shiro to feel that way after everything that had happened with him, he was well aware of this fact, however Heikichi was an innately good person and Shiro didn't want to do anything that might jeopardize this.

"Well guys," Kasumi said, getting to her feet and offering Shiro her hand. "What do you say to the three of us finding something fun to do?"

Shiro briefly thought about Kasumi's proposition and then he accepted her proffered hand, allowing her to pull him to his feet. Then, once Shiro was on his feet and standing beside her, Kasumi turned a questioning gaze toward Heikichi. "What do you say?"

"I'm in," Heikichi said, jumping to his feet and joining his two friends. "Let's go."

A/N- And thus ends yet another installment of Shiro's story. Hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to review and let me know what you thought. I really enjoy reading your reactions to the story, they're great. And on that note thanx so much for the reviews for the last chapter, they were some of the best I've recieved. Until next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	45. The Struggle for Bankai

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach, never have and never will. Just borrowing the characters for my own amusement and hopefully yours.

Chapter Forty-Five - The Struggle for Bankai

Shiro had made amends with everyone who had suffered as a result of his mental breakdown and had assured himself that none of them harbored any ill will toward him. This removed a tremendous burden from him however there was still one thing that weighed heavily on his mind. Everyone that he had spoken to about the incident had commented on his extraordinary use of Bankai and although Shiro knew that they had no reason to lie about the event, nor were they likely to all tell the same lie, he really didn't understand what had happened.

_"I have to find out what was up with that," _Shiro thought to himself as he descended the stairs and made his way toward the basement that housed the Senkaimon. Placing his hand on the frame Shiro used his reiatsu to activate the portal to Soul Society and once the boy arrived in the Seireitei he immediately made his way out to the Squad Ten training grounds.

The boy alerted no one to his presence in the Seireitei, determined to keep the fact that he was there a secret. He wanted to find some answers and he didn't want an audience. He placed a kidou barrier around the training grounds, which would supress his reiatsu so long as he didn't unleash too much power. Reaching up he grasped the hilt of Hyourinmaru and drew the sword from the sheath that he wore secured across his back.

"Okay," he said out loud as he pointed the tip of his zanpaktou toward the ground. "Let's see how this works. Bankai. . ." Shiro was forced to pause at this point and he recalled that the Bankai release was special, just like Shikai. The young boy racked his brain for a few minutes and then, in a stroke of genius, called up Hitsugaya's memories. "Bankai, Daiguren Hyourinmaru!"

Shiro stared at the tip of the sword in expectation but nothing happened. The boy raised the blade and stared at it through narrowed eyes. "Alright Hyourinmaru, what is your problem?"

_**"**__**I don't have a problem,"**_ came the reply in that far off voice that only Shiro could hear.

"I beg to differ," Shiro said in an irritated tone of voice. "Everyone keeps talking about the fact that I used Bankai and I know they can't all be telling the same lie. So tell me why the Bankai release worked then and not now."

_**"**__**You overpowered me that day. The Bankai release worked for you then because I had no choice and there's also the fact that you weren't completely yourself when you did it.**__**"**_

"Uh no," Shiro said, his eyes narrowing slightly as he listened to the words of his zanpaktou. "I may not be able to remember anything that I did that day but that doesn't change the fact that I was the one who did it."

_**"**__**No you weren't, Toushirou. Not completely anyway.**__**"**_

"Explain," Shiro demanded of his sword, vaguely realizing as he did so that if anyone saw or heard him right now he'd both look and sound like a complete idiot even though anyone who might possibly seen him already knew that he could communicate with his sword since they could do the exact same thing. That fact did not diminish the absurdity of this situation.

_**"**__**When your mind went blank on that day Toushirou you subconsciously called upon the dormant powers of Captain Hitsugaya to help you fight your percieved enemies. That's the reason why you were able to hold your own against your father and that's also why I couldn't block the Bankai release. Your powers, combined with those of Captain Hitsugaya, were simply too strong for me to fight against. I didn't allow you to use Bankai, I had absolutely no choice in the matter.**__**"**_

"Hold it," Shiro said, still eyeing the blade of his sword. "Back up. What do you mean I summoned his powers? I thought my powers were his powers, that the fact that I'm his reincarnation is the reason why I have Shinigami powers in the first place."

Until his discovery of his past life Shiro had never given a second thought to how it was that he had came to possess the powers of a Shinigami when he was still alive. It was just something that was, he'd never needed an explanation. Then, once his reality had been shattered, the boy had asked a couple of people and they had told him that he was a Shinigami because Hitsugaya had been a Shinigami.

_**"**__**No. That's what everyone assumed when they found out that you possessed the powers of a Shinigami but it's not the truth. You were born with your own powers and Captain Hitsugaya's powers were dormant until that day. Now you contain both his powers and your own."**_

"No way," Shiro muttered. How the hell had he ended up with the powers of a Shinigami if they hadn't came from Hitsugaya? _"I'm a special kind of freak." _The young boy thought about the words of his zanpaktou for a few minutes. "Hey, if the powers I possess are my own and not Hitsugaya's then why do I have his zanpaktou and why are my attacks the same as his?"

_**"**__**I am in your possession because your soul is the same as Hitsugaya's and my attacks cannot change.**__**"**_

"Okay," Shiro said. "I'll buy that but tell me something else. Why have I been able to use kidou since I was small?"

_**"**__**You learned to use kidou quicker than most because your soul already contained knowledge of the attacks. All it needed was to be reminded of this fact. That's why all you had to do was see the attacks once and then you could perform them perfectly.**__**"**_

"Hmm," Shiro said thoughtfully. Despite himself he had to admit that Hyourimaru's explanation of the situation actually did make sense. Then he recalled something else that his zanpaktou had said and an evil grin spread across his face. "Wait, you said that I have my powers and his now."

**"That is correct."**

"Unreal," Shiro muttered as he concentrated and called upon the dormant powers that lived inside him. He felt an extreme rush of power and was surrounded by a vast blue aura, which completely destroyed the kidou barrier that he'd forgotten about. His desire to hide his presense was forgotten in the exileration of his new found powers.

* * *

"Ichigo do you feel that?" Rukia's gaze shifted from the cup of tea that was sitting on the table in front of her and came to rest on the face of her husband. The two of them had traveled to Soul Society in order to visit Renji and Isane however their attention shifted away from their friends when they felt a familiar surge of reiatsu.

"Yep," Ichigo replied, his gaze focused in the direction that his son's reiatsu was radiating from. "I didn't know Shiro was coming to Soul Society today."

"Neither did I," Rukia said, a concerned expression appearing in her eyes. She could sense that something wasn't normal about his reiatsu and after what had happened the other day that fact worried her.

"Don't worry Rukia, I'm sure everything's okay," Ichigo said in a reassuring voice as he got to his feet. "But I'm going to go check on him and see what he's up to."

"I'll come with. . ."

"It's okay Rukia," Ichigo said, halting her in mid sentence. He knew that his wife was concerned about their son however he was sure that there was nothing wrong with Toushirou. "You stay here with Renji and Isane. I'll be back in no time."

And without giving her time to argue Ichigo turned and walked away. Now as a general rule Ichigo was really lousy at tracking people using their reiatsu however Rukia and Shiro were the exception to this. With the two of them he could do it although it still wasn't as natural as it should have been. Ichigo sensed his son's reiatsu radiating from the Squad Ten training grounds so that's where he went and when he arrived he saw the white haired boy standing stone still and staring at the blade of his zanpaktou.

_"What the hell. . ." _Ichigo thought to himself as he walked toward the spot where his son was standing. As he grew closer and heard the boy's rants he realized what it was that Shiro was trying to accomplish. The boy was attempting the Bankai release and if the swear words that Shiro was muttering were any indication things weren't going so well for him.

Ichigo stopped short, his intense gaze focused on his son.

Growing frustrated with Hyourinmaru's lack of cooperation Shiro growled low in his throat. Even though he could call upon Hitsugaya's powers and combine them with his own he still wasn't fully able to control them and was thus unable to overpower his sword. He couldn't believe that he'd already used Bankai once and now his zanpaktou was refusing to perform the transformation again. Lowering the sword he turned around and was shocked to see his dad standing only a few yards away. A brief image of a slightly younger looking Ichigo flashed through Shiro's mind, an angry expression on his face, and Shiro realized that he was seeing one of Hitsugaya's memories of his dad. Shaking his head Shiro dismissed the memory. He could debate his dad's relationship with his previous incarnation later. For now he wanted to know what the hell his dad was doing there.

"How long have you been standing there?" the young boy demanded, propping the blade of his zanpaktou on his shoulder and glaring over at Ichigo.

"Long enough to hear you say a few words that I know your mother wouldn't approve of," Ichigo replied with a smirk.

Shiro had the decency to look sheepish however it soon became obvious that his dad didn't really care about the profanities. Ichigo focused a scrutinizing gaze on his son. "Well come on Toushirou, let's see your Bankai."

Shiro's eyes narrowed and he glared at his dad in annoyance. "If you were there long enough to hear the obscenities then you already know damn good and well that I can't do Bankai. That's a battle that I have thus far been unable to win."

"Come on," Ichigo persisted, enjoying himself immensely. "Bankai. . . Bankai."

Shiro's mind immediately flashed back to the day he'd finally convinced his dad to show him Zangetsu's Bankai release. He'd stood around chanting, "Bankai. . . Bankai. . . Bankai. . ." until his dad had finally relented. Then, once Ichigo had drawn Zangetsu and used the Bankai release, Shiro had demanded that his dad stop fooling around and show him his real Bankai.

"You know that's really annoying from the other end," Shiro commented dryly.

Ichigo merely smirked. "At least when you achieve Bankai you know that no one will think it's a joke."

"Oh come on," Shiro said. "How was I to know that was really your Bankai?"

"Oh I don't know," Ichigo said. "Maybe because I told you that it was at least twenty times."

"I said I was sorry," Shiro said, his gaze focused intently on his dad. "Can't you just let it go?"

"No," Ichigo replied without missing a beat.

"Of course you can't," Shiro said with a sigh. "Why ever did I think you could?"

Ichigo shrugged. "Beats the hell outta me. Anyway I just came to check on you and make sure that you weren't destroying anything. Now that I know you aren't I'm going back to finish my drink. See ya."

And with that Ichigo turned, used his flash-step and vanished.

Shiro stared off in the direction that his dad had left in for a few minutes and then he sighed heavily and shook his head. "I really should have known that I couldn't get any privacy inside the walls of the Seireitei. I think I'll go somewhere a little more isolated to train."

And so, decision made, Shiro left the Squad Ten training grounds.

* * *

"Ichigo," Rukia called out as her husband reappeared at the small tea shop where the couple had met with Renji and Isane. "Did you find Shiro-chan?"

Ichigo nodded as he rejoined Rukia, Renji and Isane and he offered his wife a reassuring smile. "I found him and he's fine, just like I said he'd be. He was out at the Squad Ten training grounds, trying to use the Bankai release, although according to him Hyourinmaru was being less than cooperative."

"We should have seen this coming," Rukia said in a quiet voice, her faraway gaze focused on the horizon that was visible from the window that was beside their table. "With everyone telling him how amazing it was that he used Bankai it was only natural that he'd want to see for himself whether or not he were capable of achieving the Bankai release. It was only a matter of time before he attempted it again."

Ichigo nodded his head in agreement. "Well I think he'll be trying for quite some time."

"You're enjoying this aren't you Kurosaki?" Renji asked, his gaze focused on his friend and former rival.

Ichigo thought about the question for a few minutes before he finally shook his head. "No. I'm not happy about the fact that my son is frustrated and angry however I can safely say that he has it better than I did."

Renji thought back to Ichigo's two and a half day struggle for Bankai and he knew that his friend was speaking the truth. Shiro did have things infinitely better than his father had. He'd only witnessed the very end of that training session however that had been more than enough to give Renji a sense of the horror of it. And it wasn't surprising that it had been traumatizing; most Shinigami trained for years in order to achieve Bankai and yet Ichigo had been forced to achieve it in less than three days, in order to save Rukia from execution.

"Yea Kurosaki," Renji said, his gaze focused on his friend/rival. "The boy definately has it better than you did. But then again, everyone had it easier than you did."

* * *

Once Shiro had traveled far enough out into the Rukongai so that his reiatsu would be hard to track the young boy found a desserted meadow and once again resumed his training. "Alright Hyourinmaru," Shiro said as he once again drew the zanpaktou from the sheath that he wore secured across his back. "Let's try this again shall we?"

Shiro held a determined expression on his face as he pointed the tip of his blade toward the clear blue sky. "Bankai, Daiguren Hyourinmaru!"

Shiro once again stared at the blade of his zanpaktou in expectation however, just as before, nothing happened. After several more futile attempts to achieve the Bankai release, each having the same result, the young boy was forced to admit defeat. Shiro growled under his breath in annoyance and sheathed his sword. "I don't get what I'm doing wrong," the young boy muttered to himself as he made his way back through the Rukongai. "I've already used Bankai once, why can't I use it again?"

As he mumbled to himself in annoyance Shiro made his way through the Rukongai to District One and when he reached his favorite spot the young boy removed the sash that secured Hyourinmaru across his back and the sat down under a tree. Shiro placed his sheathed zanpaktou gently on the ground beside him and then stared out at the peacefully flowing river.

_"There has to be an easier way to do it," _Shiro thought to himself as he gazed at the river. Then he clenched his right hand into a fist. _"And I'm going to do it."_

With this thought in mind Shiro leaned back against a tree, his hands behind his head. As he sat there the young boy remembered the moment when his dad had arrived at the Squad Ten training grounds and his thoughts centered on the flash of memory that his dad's arrival had summoned into his mind. Shiro focused on this thought and recalled an incident where Ichigo had actually fought against Hitsugaya, in an attempt to keep the young captain from running off alone to face a former friend who had chosen to seek revenge against Soul Society.

"Hmm," Shiro thought to himself. "Dad was a trouble maker when he was younger. Started out as an invader to Soul Society and ended up as a captain. How messed up is that?"

Shiro chuckled softly to himself, realizing that what his mother often said really was true. He really did take after Ichigo. "I guess if you're around someone enough some of their personality traits are bound to rub off."

A/N - and there's the end of another chapter. Poor Shiro, found out about Hitsugaya and he's still having a rough time. And now we have a new mystery, where did Shiro's powers come from? You'll have to stick with it to find out. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review and tell me what you thought. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	46. Face From the Past

Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach

A/N - for anyone who's wondered why poor little Shiro-chan was so traumatized when he was adopted by Ichigo and Rukia this chapter will answer that question. make sure you have a tissue in hand.

Chapter Forty-Six -Face From the Past

Nearly a week had passed since Shiro had been released from the infirmary and just as Ukitake had promised life had resumed and things had gone back to normal. Or as normal as they ever got in Soul Society. The two of them had just finished their first training session since the incident, during which Ukitake had shown the boy video footage from some of Hitsugaya's battles, and those had proven to be immensely instructive to Shiro. Then, after the training session was over and he was free to do as he pleased, Shiro decided that he wanted to go for a walk. So, decision made, the boy made his way out to the Rukongai and this time Shiro did not confine his walk to District One as he usually did but instead wandered farther out.

As he was walking through District Ten Shiro was completely lost in thought however his thoughts were interrupted when he heard a woman call out, "Stop Shinigami."

Although Shiro wasn't technically a Shinigami the boy was dressed like one so he turned around when the woman called out to him. And when he turned Shiro found himself staring up into the face of a woman who seemed vaguely familiar to him. The woman's eyes widened as she stared down at the young white-haired boy and a strange look appeared within their blue depths. Her face white and her eyes wide she took a couple of steps toward Shiro and placed a hand on top of his head.

Shiro immediately stepped away, a confused look in his blue-green eyes. The touch of the stranger had made him uncomfortable and he confused by the expression on the woman's face. "Excuse me. . ."

"Sojiro," the woman whispered, unshed tears glistening in her eyes.

The sound of that name jarred memories that had been buried deeply in the back of Shiro's mind for years and the young boy's eyes widened as he gasped in surprise. Flashes of his long forgotten past, the past that his mind had tried so desperately to banish, ran through Shiro's mind as he stared up at the woman whom he hadn't laid eyes on in eight years.

"They told me you were dead," the woman whispered, wringing her hands and gazing at Shiro with tears in her eyes. "They told me you died as a small child. They held a funeral and everything. You were supposed to be dead."

A vision of a harsh looking couple flashed into Shiro's mind and the boy's eyes narrowed. "They wish. I'm sure that was what they were hoping for when they abandoned me in the woods but it didn't quite work out the way they wanted."

The woman's eyes widened even farther. "They left. . . Sojiro I'm so sorry."

"**DON'T** call me that," Shiro snapped, stepping even farther away from the woman and glaring at her. "My name is Toushirou Kurosaki."

And with that the young boy turned and fled, using his flash-step to quickly escape the woman. Shiro was upset over this unexpected meeting and the memories it had unearthed and he quickly returned to the Seireitei, his mind reliving the horrors of his early childhood, which until this point had been repressed.

"Shiro."

Jarred from his disturbed thoughts by the sound of someone calling out to him Shiro glanced up and saw his dad walking toward him.

"What's the matter kiddo?" Ichigo asked as he came to a stop in front of his son. There was a concerned expression in the man's eyes as he gazed down at his son. "You look stressed."

Shiro debated his answer for a moment and then he gazed up into his dad's face. "Dad, can I talk to you about something?"

"Of course," Ichigo said, now really concerned. "You can talk to me about anything."

Shiro nodded. "Can we go somewhere else?"

"Name the place and we're there," Ichigo said.

Shiro led the way back out to the Rukongai and father and son made there way to the river that was located in District One. When they arrived at the river Ichigo and Shiro sat down under the large cherry tree and Ichigo gazed over at his son. "So what is it that you want to talk about Shiro?"

"I was just out walking in District Ten and I came across someone from my past, from the time before you and Mom adopted me," Shiro told his dad in a quiet voice, his blue-green eyes downcast. "From before I ended up in the orphanage."

This statement immediately gained Ichigo's attention. Shiro had never spoken of what had happened to him before he'd been adopted by him and Rukia and he could tell by the tone of the boy's voice that he wasn't happy about the meeting. "What happened?"

"I was out walking through the tenth district of the Rukongai, not really doing anything except thinking, when I heard a voice call out Stop Shinigami," Shiro said, still resolutely refusing to meet his dad's gaze. "I turned around and this woman was standing a few feet away. She was looking at me with this strange look in her eyes, like she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Then she called me Sojiro and that's when I remembered. I remembered her, I remembered them, I remembered what had happened before I came to the orphanage where you and Mom found me. I had forgotten it all until that moment."

"So who was she?" Ichigo asked.

"She was my biological mother's sister," Shiro explained. "She came to visit every day and she was the only one who was ever nice to me. My parents were strict at the best of times but when the Hollow started attacking they became down right brutal."

"So you were a target for Hollow even then huh kiddo?" Ichigo said in a sympathetic voice.

Shiro nodded, the hazy memories from his early childhood running through his mind. "Yea. Two houses were destroyed by the beasts however we were saved both times by Shinigami. I tried to tell my parents that we were being attacked by monsters and then saved by these strange people dressed in black but my father called me a liar and. . ." Shiro paused as he recalled what else the man had done however he quickly decided that his Dad didn't need to know all of the facts. "after awhile I learned to keep my mouth shut. My silence did nothing to halt the attacks however and my parents apparently decided that I was bad luck or something. They abandoned me in the forest, in the middle of winter. I have no doubt that they were hoping I'd die of exposure however some man found me and took me to the orphanage."

Ichigo gazed at his son with a sympathetic look in his eyes. "I'm sorry Shiro. I had no idea that you'd suffered so much."

"You know ironically neither did I," Shiro said, laughing slightly at the irony. "Apparently my mind had blocked out those memories but seeing her and hearing that name brought them all back."

"So what are you going to do son?" Ichigo asked the boy.

"I'm going to forget that any of this ever happened," Shiro said, coming to this decision instantaneously. "Thanks for listening to me Dad."

Ichigo nodded and watched as his son got to his feet and walked away. Once Shiro was gone, Ichigo got to his feet and left District One. However instead of returning to the Seireitei, Ichigo made his way out to District Ten and began to look around the small village. He was roaming around the outskirts of the town when he came across a young woman leaning up against a wall, her face buried in her hands.

"I didn't expect for you to be so easy to find," Ichigo said and the sound of his voice caused the woman to look up quickly, a startled expression in her blue eyes.

"Who are you?" the woman said, gazing up at Ichigo with red rimmed eyes. "And what do you want?"

"My name is Ichigo Kurosaki and I came here because I want to talk about Sojiro," Ichigo said, instantly gaining the woman's attention.

The woman's eyes widened in shock and she gazed at Ichigo in confusion. "How do you. . ."

"Shiro told me what happened," Ichigo said as he sat down beside the woman. "My wife and I adopted the boy when he was three years old and named him Toushirou."

"You raised him as your own?" the woman whispered, gazing over into Ichigo's eyes. There was a pleading look in her eyes as she asked this question, as though she desperately needed to hear that the child had been cared for with love.

Ichigo nodded.

"Thank you," the woman said, tears sliding down her face.

Something about the woman's actions didn't match up with what Shiro had told him and Ichigo gazed at her in an appraising sort of way. "You're not the boy's aunt are you?"

The woman shook her head, a sad expression in her blue eyes. "My name is Shiori and Sojiro was my son, not my sister's."

"Then why. . ."

"I was unmarried and really young when I gave birth to my son," Shiori said sadly, her voice filled with regret. "On the Eighteenth of December in a raging blizzard. My sister was told that she couldn't have children and she and her husband offered to raise the child as their own. I had no means to support him at the time so I took them up on their offer and gave them my son, thinking that I was doing what was best for him. It wasn't until a year and a half later that I learned how wrong I'd been and by that time it was too late to change things. Everything was okay until Sojiro began to talk and that's when my sister and her husband decided that he was strange. Both of them thought that there was something wrong with him. Sojiro saw Hollow but of course none of us knew that at the time since none of us could see them, althought I could kind of feel their presense at times, and my brother-in-law got violent in his attempts to keep the child from talking about them. He was afraid that someone outside of our immediate family would hear him, which would embarrass the family. And when all the specialists were proven wrong and my sister had her own child, a daughter, things became much worse for my beloved child. Then, about two months before his third birthday, my sister told me that Sojiro had passed away in his sleep and stupid me I believed her. I just believed her, without any proof. I was weak and didn't want to see the body of my beloved child. I committed suicide the day after my son's funeral."

"Answer me this," Ichigo said, focusing solely on one aspect of the woman's story. "If you knew about the abuse then why didn't you make an attempt to stop it? I mean you were his mother, wasn't your first instinct to protect him?"

Tears appeared in Shiori's eyes as she thought about his words, her mind flashing back to a day that she had tried desperately to forget. "I tried, once. The first time I witnessed that man beat my son I stepped in on Sojiro's behalf and do you know what that got me? I had to watch Sojiro suffer twice as much because I'd opened my mouth where it wasn't wanted. That's what he told me, that my son's suffering was my fault. After that I decided that it would be better for Sojiro if I just stayed out of it."

Ichigo gazed at the woman, a sympathetic look on his face. He could tell that this woman had genuinely loved her son and he was saddened by her plight. Although he wished that she would have stood up for the child he did understand why it was that she had been unable to.

"When I saw the child today I couldn't believe my eyes," Shiori said. "I knew who he was immediately and then I knew that my sister had lied to me because aging here in Soul Society is different and, had he died as a small child, Sojiro would not look like an eleven year old. He must have died recently."

Ichigo shook his head. "Shiro isn't dead. He comes to Soul Society because of my wife and I; we're Shinigami stationed in the world of the living."

"He's not. . . He didn't. . ."

"He's still alive," Ichigo said in a gentle tone of voice. "Although he is in training to be a Shinigami. Shiro is a very special child, a prodigy in fact, not to mention the fact that he has the reincarnated soul of a captain class Shinigami. That's more than likely the reason why he's always been able to see Hollow."

"Has he had a good life?" Shiori asked, gazing into Ichigo's eyes with the same pleading look as before.

"I think so," Ichigo said. "My wife and I have certainly tried our best to raise him right and provide him with everything he needs."

"Then I'm happy," Shiori said, although she looked anything but happy.

"Tell me something," Ichigo said. "Why didn't you tell Shiro who you really were when you ran into him earlier? He might have reacted differently had he known the truth."

Shiori shook her head. "No. He'd hate me more if he knew that I was his mother and not my sister. How could he not when I'm the one who put him into that situation in the first place? I'm the reason for all of his suffering. There's no way he could ever forgive me for that and I'm not fool enough to expect him to."

"I think you're wrong," Ichigo said. "But whatever."

Shiori watched as Ichigo got to his feet. "Please don't tell him."

"I have no intention of telling Shiro anything we discussed here," Ichigo said as he gazed down at the woman. "It's not my place. However Shiro was almost destroyed by memories he shouldn't have had about a week ago and I warn you now if it looks like today's events might trigger a similar situation then I will tell Shiro everything. I'm not going to stand by and allow that to happen to him again."

And with that Ichigo turned and left.

* * *

After leaving his dad in the Rukongai Shiro still felt really stressed out so he decided to go to the training grounds and blow off some steam. And as Shiro destroyed targets with kidou blasts the boy's thoughts flashed back to the parts of his childhood that he'd tried so desperately to forget. Life with those people had been a living hell and all of it simply because he was different.

_**You know if you don't watch out you're going to end up with multiple personality disorder.**_

"Yea," Shiro muttered, focusing on another target. "And the truly tragic part will be that I really was both of my extra personalities at one point or another."

The target exploded.

_**Come on Toushirou, if you really want to destroy things the two of us could do so much better than that.**_

Ignoring the voice of Hyourinmaru Shiro didn't draw his zanpaktou however his eyes widened as a huge, ice blue dragon suddenly appeared in front of him. The boy gasped as he stared at Hyourinmaru's true form, which he had never seen before.

_**You have to stop dwelling on what was and what should have been Toushirou. If you don't, you're going to end up destroying those you care most for. It almost happened once, don't fool yourself into thinking that it can't happen again.**_

"You're right," Shiro said in a quiet voice as the dragon vanished. His mind remarkably clear and calm now, Shiro grasped the hilt of Hyourinmaru and drew the sword from its sheath. What he was about to attempt was nothing new, he'd tried it countless times after his psychotic break all to no avail, however the thought that it wouldn't work this time didn't even enter the young boy's mind. Holding his sword out in front of him Shiro said calmly, "Bankai, Daiguren Hyourinmaru!"

Ice erupted from the hilt of Hyourinmaru and completely engulfed Shiro's right arm, wrapped around his shoulders and then down his left arm, forming armor. At the same time huge wings of ice grew from the boy's back.

_**Good job.**_

* * *

Renji was walking toward the Squad Nine barracks when he felt a massive surge of reiatsu and his heart actually skipped a beat. "Oh no, not again."

Deciding that he had to investigate, and yet at the same time dreading what he would find, Renji used his flash-step to travel to the training grounds where the reiatsu was radiating from. When he arrived he saw Shiro floating a few feet above the ground, supported by massive wings of ice. "Shiro!"

Shiro turned at the sound of Renji's voice and he offered the Squad Nine captain a grin, which was somewhat cocky. "Check it out Renji, I can do Bankai!"

Renji heaved a sigh of relief as he heard these words and saw the look on Shiro's face. The boy's eyes were still their normal shade of blue-green and he had a cocky grin on his face. Thankfully this wasn't a repeat of last time. "Way to go kid."

As Renji surveyed Shiro's Bankai he saw that the ice that comprised the boy's wings and wound itself up his arm was white instead of the blue that Hitsugaya's had been. However white was infinately preferable to the black that they'd been when Shiro had nearly killed him.

Landing lightly on the ground Shiro sheathed his sword and felt the wings on his back shatter in a spray of ice. "That is so cool!"

"Bankai is really cool," Renji agreed, amused by the kid's enthusiasm. "I remember when I first got it."

"What's your Bankai like?" Shiro asked.

Recalling that the only time Shiro had ever seen his Bankai had been during his episode the other day Renji smiled at the kid. "You wanna see?"

Shiro nodded.

Renji drew his zanpaktou from its sheath as he took a few steps away from the boy. "Bankai, Hihio Zabimaru!"

Shiro watched in awe as Renji's sword transformed into a huge snake made of bone. "That is awesome."

Now as it turned out Renji wasn't the only one who'd felt the surge of reiatsu when Shiro had used his Bankai and the pair were soon joined by Matsumoto, Ukitake and Rukia.

"What's going on?" Ukitake asked as the three newcomers gazed at Renji's Bankai.

"I was just showing Shiro what my Bankai looks like," Renji informed the Head Captain as he sheathed his sword. Then he turned to Shiro. "Why don't you show them what you were doing?"

"Okay," Shiro said, unsheathing his sword once more and holding it out in front of him. "Bankai, Daiguren Hyourinmaru!"

Their eyes all grew wide as they watched Shiro's transformation into Bankai.

* * *

"I know that reiatsu," Ichigo thought to himself as he entered the Seireitei. "What in the world is that boy doing now?"

Using his flash-step Ichigo traveled to the training grounds and when he arrived he saw that a crowd had gathered and at the center of the crowd was his son, in Bankai form. Ichigo walked up to Rukia, who smiled up at him. "Your son learned a new trick."

"I see that," Ichigo said, placing an arm around Rukia's shoulders. "And I've gotta say, I much prefer the white to the black."

Rukia nodded. "And I think everyone here pretty much shares that sentiment."

"There's something we need to talk about," Ichigo said softly, leaning over so that only his wife would hear him.

"What is it?" Rukia asked.

"Come with me and I'll tell you," Ichigo said.

So, leaving Shiro with his group of admirers, Ichigo and Rukia made their way across the Seireitei. Ichigo led his wife to the abandoned Squad Five barracks and the couple entered the office and sat down on the slightly dusty sofa.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Rukia asked. "And why did we have to do it here?"

"I met Shiro's biological mother earlier," Ichigo said.

"What?!" Rukia exclaimed, her eyes wide in disbelief.

Ichigo nodded. "Shiro ran into her first, although he doesn't know who she really is. Shiori gave him to her sister to raise when he was born so he knew her as his aunt and not his mother and seeing her today brought back memories from his childhood that had been repressed up until now. Shiro told me that he'd met her in the Rukongai and after I spoke to him I went to District Ten to see if I could find her and that's when she told me the whole story. Shiori said she was young and unmarried when she gave birth so she gave her son to her sister to raise however apparently her sister and her husband weren't overly fond of the boy. They thought that he was strange and that there was something wrong with him because he spoke of seeing monsters and strange people dressed in black. And you were right all those years ago when you told me that you thought Shiro had been abandoned. The people who were raising him abandoned him in the forest about two months before his third birthday."

"Are you going to tell Shiro any of this?" Rukia asked, a concerned expression in her violet eyes. Secrets had almost destroyed her child once and she didn't want him to have to go through something like that ever again.

Ichigo shook his head. "Shiori said that she didn't want him to know. She's convinced that he'll hate her more if he knows that she's his mother and even if that wasn't a factor Shiro said that he wants to forget that any of this ever happened. I don't know how receptive he'd be to that information."

"I think he would want to know," Rukia said.

"Maybe," Ichigo said. "But this is a decision that he'll have to make on his own. We can't force him into it. If he chooses to go back and talk to Shiori then I'm sure that he'll eventually learn the truth of who she is."

Rukia nodded. "You're probably right."

"Oh," Ichigo said, as a sort of an after thought. "While I was talking to Shiori I found out Shiro's real birthday and he's actually older than we thought."

"How much older?" Rukia asked.

"A few months," Ichigo replied. "He's actually eleven as of a week ago. He was born on the seventh anniversary of the end of the Winter War. December Eighteenth, in the middle of a massive snowstorm."

"Doesn't surprise me," Rukia said with a smile.

* * *

Later that day, after the Kurosaki family returned to the world of the living, Ichigo left his house and made his way to a small store that he hadn't visited in some time. Ichigo knocked on the door and within minutes he was greeted by a familiar person wearing a green and white striped hat.

"Captain Kurosaki," Urahara said, gesturing for Ichigo to enter the shop. "Long time no see. What brings you to my shop today?"

"I need help with something," Ichigo replied as he walked inside the shop.

"I'll do what I can," Urahara said.

The two men went into the back room and sat down at a small table. As soon as they were seated Urahara turned his gaze back toward Ichigo, a questioning look in his eyes. "So what exactly do you need my help with Kurosaki?"

"I need to find a couple of people," Ichigo said. "And I couldn't think of anyone better to do that than you."

"Who are you looking for?" Urahara asked.

"The couple who claimed to be Shiro's biological parents" Ichigo replied.

Urahara's eyes widened upon hearing this news. "What brought this on? You've never shown even the slightest interest in finding them before. For that matter how do you know that they're even still alive?"

"I want to find them now because I know what a pair of unimagineable bastards they are," Ichigo growled, a look of loathing in his eyes. "I met Shiro's biological mother in the Rukongai and she informed me that she gave the child to her sister and brother-in-law to raise and that they beat him because he told them that he saw monsters. Then they left him in the forest to die."

Urahara was concerned by the rage that he heard in Ichigo's voice. "Don't you think you should leave this in the past where it belongs?"

"No," Ichigo said. "But if you don't want to help me then I'll just go back to Soul Society and bully Shiori until she gives me the information. Hell she may even do it willingly after what they did to her son."

Urahara held up his hands. "Fine, I'll help you. Do you have anything to go on?"

"Just search the records for a family that buried a three year old boy named Sojiro and then three days later buried a sister named Shiori. That would be the people that I'm looking for."

"And what exactly are you going to do once you find them Kurosaki?"

"Get revenge for Shiro," Ichigo stated matter of factly.

A/N - Cue the dramatic music. Shiro's experiencing yet another bout of painful memories, this time connected with his own life, and Ichigo's out for blood. What's gonna happen next? Stay tuned to find out. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review and tell me what you thought. And yes I realize that Sojiro is the name of the antagonist from DiamondDust Rebellion but in my defense I had the name picked out before I ever saw that movie. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	47. Choices

Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach nor any of the characters. Only the OCs belong to me.

Chapter Forty-Seven -Choices

Fourth seat of Squad Five, Kaiya Maekawa, was out on patrol when she saw her captain talking to some man wearing a green and white striped hat. This meeting seemed somewhat peculiar to her and as she got closer Kaiya heard the stranger speak in a low voice, at the same time handing Captain Kurosaki an envelope. Now it wasn't in her nature to eavesdrop on her superior officer however Kaiya was close enough to hear the exchange between the two men and couldn't force herself to ignore what was going on. She was concerned and so she listened.

"Here's the information you wanted Kurosaki," the man said.

"Thanks Urahara," Ichigo said as he placed the envelope in the inside pocket of his jacket.

"Are you sure about this Ichigo?" Urahara asked, gazing at Ichigo with an intense expression in the one eye that you could see from underneath his hat.. "You'll be in really big trouble if you go through with this plan. You could face exile or even execution."

"I don't care," Ichigo growled. "Those bastards have to pay for what they did to him."

Urahara sighed, realizing that it was useless to argue with him at this point. "I can't stop you but I really feel that you should rethink this course of action. This isn't going to undo anything that was done to Shiro so. . ."

Ichigo waved as he turned to leave. "Take care Urahara."

And with that Ichigo walked away.

As soon as her captain was out of sight Kaiya turned to leave as well however she stopped short when she heard someone call out to her. Turning Kaiya saw that the man in the striped hat, Urahara her captain had called him, was motioning for her to approach. Confused but none the less curious, Kaiya walked over to the man. "Can I help you with something?"

"Yes," Urahara said. "Find Rukia and tell her that she has to go and stop her husband from doing something stupid."

Still confused but picking up on the note of urgency in Urahara's voice Kaiya nodded and rushed off. The fourth seat officer quickly made her way to the Kurosaki home however when she arrived Shiro was the only one that she found.

"Shiro-chan," she gasped as she walked up to the boy. "Where's your mom?"

Shiro shrugged. "I have no idea. I came home from school and found the place empty."

"Dammit," Kaiya said. "This is not good."

"What's wrong?" Shiro asked, a concerned expression on his face. "Why do you need to find my Mom so badly?"

Kaiya briefly debated whether she should tell the boy but then she made her decision. If Captain Kurosaki was going to do something stupid that was likely to get him into trouble then, aside from Rukia, Shiro had the best chance of stopping him. "This guy named Urahara told me to find your mom and tell her to go and stop her husband from doing something stupid."

"What's he going to do?" Shiro asked.

"I have no idea," Kaiya told the boy. "Although I did overhear him tell Urahara that those bastards have to pay for what they did to him."

Shiro gazed at Kaiya. "Do you think this qualifies as an emergency Kaiya?"

"Going by what I know, I'd say yes definitely."

Shiro nodded and pulled a small, dragon-headed device from his jacket pocket. Pushing down on the dragon's head, the boy dispensed a small green pill which he quickly popped into his mouth. Leaping from his body Shiro turned to Kaiya. "Don't worry, I'll find him."

And with that Shiro dashed off.

* * *

"What the hell do you want from us?" the middle aged man asked the orange haired stranger who had just broken into his house. "Is it money you're after?"

"I don't want your money you low life," Ichigo said with a sneer. His eyes were filled with loathing as he gazed down at the couple. "What I want is for you to cower every time someone raises their voice, afraid that you're going to be struck. For you to be terrified every time you're left alone, afraid you've been abandoned. For you to be too scared to speak because someone beat the hell out of you for telling the truth."

"What are you talking about?" the man's wife asked.

"I'm talking about the child you abandoned in the woods and left to die," Ichigo growled, his eyes glowing with pure hatred. "Sojiro."

That got their attention. Their eyes widened as Ichigo took a step toward them however the man recovered after only a few seconds. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Reaching into his pocket Ichigo pulled out a picture and handed it to the man. "Does this jog your memory?"

The couple both gazed down at the picture and the woman gasped.

"That answers that," Ichigo said as he took the picture back.

"There was something seriously wrong with that boy," the man said. "Constantly talking about seeing monsters. I think he might have been mentally challenged or something. You can't imagine the horror we felt when we found out about this defect."

Pulling a red glove from his pocket Ichigo took a step toward the couple, his eyes turning from brown to an eerie silver color. "I think it's about time the two of you got a dose of true horror."

* * *

"That's Dad's reiatsu," Shiro thought to himself as he leapt over the roof tops of Karakura Town. "And he's surrounded by Hollow. What's going on?"

Using his flash-step Shiro quickened his pace and he soon arrived at the spot where his Dad stood amidst a circle of huge Hollow. Shiro ran toward him but paused when he saw two souls, both still attached to their bodies by the Chain of Fate, cowering on the ground at his feet. At first glance it didn't look as though Ichigo was going to do anything to help the two souls but that couldn't be right.

Hearing his approach the two souls turned toward him and Shiro's eyes widened as recognition hit him. They were his biological parents, the two people who'd made the first two and a half years of his life a living hell.

Following the gazes of the couple Ichigo turned and he gasped in horror when his gaze fell upon Shiro.

"What are you doing Dad?" Shiro asked as he walked toward them.

"Just showing them some monsters," Ichigo replied, gazing down at the couple with the coldest look Shiro had ever seen in his dad's eyes.

One of the Hollow took a couple of steps toward the souls, who both shrieked in horror.

"Dad. . ."

"Go home Toushirou," Ichigo said in a commanding voice. "This isn't something you need to see."

Shiro shook his head and drew his zanpaktou, a determined look in his blue-green eyes. "And this isn't something you need to do Dad. Reign over the frosted, frozen sky, Hyourinmaru!"

Shiro swung his sword and released the ice dragon, which destroyed all of the Hollow in one pass. Then the boy sheathed his sword and turned back to his Dad. "Let's go home."

"But these people. . ." Ichigo began.

"I'm fully aware of what they did," Shiro said softly, his gaze never leaving his dad's face. Those two people who had once called themselves his parents weren't even worth a passing glance. "But the life I have with you, Mom and the twins now is more important than what happed then and if you kill them now then I'll lose that too. And Mom, think about how she'll feel if you kill them. It will break her heart. Not to mention Kaien and Masaki. Do you want to deprive them of the chance to have a father? Trust me, these people aren't worth it."

Ichigo heard the fear in the voice of his son and it was that which made him decide against his chosen course of action. Walking toward the two souls Ichigo shoved them roughly back into their bodies and then he and Shiro stood around until the couple regained consciousness, just in case any more Hollow showed up.

As the man and woman opened their eyes they gazed around at their surroundings and their eyes widened when they saw that Ichigo and Shiro were still there.

"They can see us?" Shiro asked, turning to his dad.

Ichigo nodded. "They came into close contact with a Shinigami, which raised their spiritual awareness. They'll never be normal again."

The corner of Shiro's mouth twitched into a half smile. This was more than he could have hoped for and seemed the most appropriate punishment possible under the circumstances. "Now you'll see what it's like to be able to see them and yet at the same time be powerless to do anything about it. And even if you tell someone about them, no one will believe you."

Ichigo wrapped his arm around Shiro's shoulder. "Come on Shiro, let's go home."

Shiro nodded and father and son walked away together.

* * *

Later that day Shiro was sitting on the edge of his bed, lost in thought. The events earlier had caused him to once again reflect on his past and he found that his thoughts kept going back to Shiori. She had been the only one in that family who'd been nice and Shiro recalled one strange incident, after his father had beaten him for talking about the Hollow that had destroyed their house. He had been lying on his bed, shaking with uncontrollable sobs, when the door of his bedroom had opened and Shiori had entered the room.

"Oh Sojiro," she'd whispered, as she sat down on the edge of the bed. "I'm so sorry."

Tears flowing from her own eyes, Shiori had pulled the little boy into her arms and held him, rocking slowly back and forth and stroking his snow white hair. "I'm so sorry Sojiro, this is all my fault. I never should have placed you in this situation. Please forgive me."

Recalling this statement aroused Shiro's curiosity and made him feel guilty at the same time. She'd been nice to him and he'd been rude to her. "I shouldn't have snapped at her," Shiro thought to himself. Getting to his feet Shiro left his room and made his way downstairs.

The boy found his mom in the living room, sitting in the middle of the floor playing with the twins, and he called out, "I'm going to Soul Society a little early today alright?"

"That's fine Shiro-chan," Rukia said.

Shiro made his way down to the basement and traveled to Soul Society via the Senkaimon. Once there the boy left the Seireitei and made his way out to District Ten of the Rukongai. Shiro wandered around the village, searching for Shiori, however his search wasn't progressing well. The boy was about to give up when he heard a voice call out, "What are you doing back here?"

Shiro turned and saw Shiori standing a few feet away. "I came to apologize for the other day. I shouldn't have snapped at you, I'm sorry."

Shiori's eyes widened in surprise at the boy's apology.

"Can I talk to you?" Shiro asked.

Shiori nodded and Shiro smiled. "Come on. I know the perfect spot."

Shiro led Shiori to District One and the two of them sat down under the cherry tree on the bank of the river. Shiro turned to the woman as she sat down beside him. "You spoke to my dad the other day, didn't you?"

Shiori's eyes widened as she heard this question, thinking that Ichigo had told Shiro who she really was. "Why would you say something like that?"

"Because he went after my biological parents," Shiro said quietly. "And since I didn't give him any of the details of what happened to me as a small child that leaves you as the only one who could have. And I know for a fact that he wouldn't have pursued them unless he knew everything."

Shiori was relieved that Ichigo hadn't broken his word however she could tell that Shiro was upset and that disturbed her. "I told him, I'm sorry. I had no idea he'd go after them and I didn't tell him who they were."

"You didn't have to," Shiro said in a quiet voice. "It wouldn't have been hard for him to find out."

"So what happened?" Shiori asked.

Shiro smirked. "He introduced them to a group of Hollow and he would have killed them if I hadn't stopped him."

Shiori's gaze went to the hands that she held clasped in her lap and she half wished that the boy hadn't made it in time. Shiro saw the look on her face and he was fully aware of what she was thinking. "I know you wish I'd let him kill them but that would have ruined my life once again, as well as my Mom's."

"Sojiro," Shiori whispered.

"Okay," Shiro said, blowing out an exasperated breath and gazing over at the woman. "We're going to have to straighten this out once and for all. I'm not Sojiro. I left that life behind eight years ago. My name is Toushirou Kurosaki. If you want to call me Shiro that's fine, I'll even answer to Shiro-chan although that one annoys me slightly."

"I'm sorry Shiro."

Shiro smiled. "That's better. And thank you for being nice to me. The only good memories I have from my old life are the ones I have of you."

Shiori smiled upon hearing these words and yet she couldn't keep the tears from welling up in her eyes.

"Hey I've gotta go or I'm going to be late for training," Shiro said. "Is it okay if I come back to visit again some time?"

Shiori nodded, a soft smile on her lips. "I'd like that Shiro-chan."

Shiro jumped to his feet and dashed off, calling out over his shoulder, "I'll see you later Aunt Shiori!"

Shiori smiled as she watched the young boy depart. This new relationship with him was something that she hadn't even dared to hope for and she was happy.

Shiro ran all the way back to the Seireitei and when he reached the Squad One office he saw that Ukitake was standing in the court yard waiting for him.

"Running a little late today Shiro?" Ukitake asked as the boy ran up to him.

"Yea," Shiro said. "Lost track of time. Sorry."

"It's okay," Ukitake said with a smile. "I was going to cancel the lesson anyway."

"What?" Shiro exclaimed. "But why?"

"You have Bankai now," Ukitake said, a note of pride in his voice. "I don't think there's really anything left to teach you. All you need to do now is hone your skills."

"Oh," Shiro said, glad that it wasn't anything that he'd done. "Okay."

"There's something I'd like to discuss with you however," Ukitake said. "Could you come inside my office?"

Shiro nodded, slightly confused, and he followed the Head Captain into his office. Ukitake walked across the office and sat down behind his desk, while Shiro came to stand in front of him. Ukitake folded his hands and gazed at the boy intently, a serious expression on his face. "I received a report earlier from your father's third seat officer stating that Ichigo attacked a couple of humans today and almost let them get killed by a group of Hollow that he baited to the scene. I was wondering whether you knew anything about it."

Shiro gazed at the Head Captain calmly, his eyes giving away nothing. "He must be mistaken. My dad would never do something like that. He and I saved a couple from a group of Hollow earlier, that must have been what Tomori saw."

Ukitake stared at the boy for a few moments. "I'm transferring Tomori out of Squad Five as of today. I'm not sure what happened with the humans that he spoke of however he and Ichigo have never gotten along and I think it would be for the best for them to no longer be in the same squad."

Shiro's expression did not change but inwardly he was celebrating. Yes, he was finally rid of that whiny man.

"I'll send one of my men to inform Tomori of the transfer as soon as we're finished here," Ukitake said. "And as for the vacant position in Squad Five I'm assigning you to be the acting third seat officer."

Shiro's jaw dropped and he stared at the Head Captain in disbelief. "But sir, I'm not even a Shinigami. Not really."

"Doesn't matter," Ukitake said. "I'll just give you the same status that your father had when he first gained his powers. You can be a Substitute Shinigami. I think helping your father and mother keep the Hollow in check will be a good way to help you hone your battle skills and this way you'll be in a safe battle environment."

"Okay," Shiro said with a shrug, after all he'd been battling Hollow for years so nothing would really change. Then he had a thought. "Head Captain, if it's okay I'd like to deliver the transfer orders to Tomori."

"If you wish," Ukitake said.

"Thank you," Shiro said and with a bow he left the Squad One office.

Shiro made his way across the Seireitei to the Senkaimon and traveled back to the world of the living. Once there he left his house and traced Tomori's reiatsu to the edge of Karakura Town. Using the Gikongan to emerge from his body Shiro used his flash-step and went in pursuit of his father's former third seat officer.

Tomori was staring off into space when he suddenly felt a presence behind him. Turning he saw Shiro standing a few feet away, dressed in a shihakusho and wearing his zanpaktou across his back. He growled low in his throat at this sight, which irritated him more than words could describe. He still couldn't believe that the brat had completely escaped punishment after nearly wiping out Squad Five's officers as well as a couple of captains.

Ignoring the look in Tomori's eyes Shiro walked toward him and calmly drew his sword. The third seat officer gasped in horror, his eyes widening, as Shiro placed the tip of his blade against his throat. "When you saw my dad earlier I bet you couldn't wait to tell Ukitake what you'd seen could you? Unfortunately you didn't count on the fact that I would show up in time to stop my dad from killing those people and that I could vouch for him with the Head Captain."

"Wait Shiro. . . I didn't. . ."

"Shut up," Shiro snarled, pressing the tip of his blade to Tomori's flesh. A blue aura grew around the boy and his eyes turned from blue-green to an eerie, icy blue. The exact shade they'd been when he'd lost his mind and nearly killed half of Squad Five, among others. Tomori's eyes widened still further, now completely terrified of the young boy. "If you ever try something like that again you and I are going to fight and I promise you, I will kill you. And before you run off to tell the Head Captain what occurred here you should probably keep one thing in mind. Will he believe you, a man known to have a grudge against my entire family, or me?"

With that Shiro sheathed his sword. "But on the bright side you've been transferred out of Squad Five. So leave and don't come back."

Tomori lost no time obeying this particular order. He took a couple of wary steps away from Shiro and then turned and quickly fled the scene. With a smirk Shiro used his flash-step and made his way back home, where he found his mom and dad in their office working on paperwork.

"Hey Shiro-chan," Rukia called out as the boy entered the office.

"Hey," Shiro said as he sat down in a vacant chair under the window. "Where are the twins?"

"They're taking a nap," Rukia said, a soft smile appearing on her face. "Which I consider a small miracle since it's nearly impossible to get both of them to sleep at the same time. So what brings you here Shiro-chan?"

"I've got some good news," Shiro said, offering his parents a smile. "Your third seat officer was transferred today. Apparently Head Captain Ukitake got tired of the constant fighting and decided that he'd be better off in another squad."

"That's great," Ichigo exclaimed, earning himself a reproachful look from his wife. "What? I can't stand that man and you know it. Hell everyone knows it, I haven't exactly made any attempt to keep it a secret."

Rukia rolled her eyes but chose not to say anything.

"So who's going to be his replacement?" Ichigo asked his son. "Did the old man say?"

At that moment a black butterfly flew in through the open window and landed on Rukia's finger. It perched there for a few minutes and then flew off, leaving Rukia to turn a wide eyed gaze to her son. Noticing the look on his wife's face Ichigo turned his gaze to his son as well.

"Let me guess," Shiro said, a smirk appearing on his face as he gazed at the shocked expression on his mother's face. "That was a message from the Head Captain."

"Oh hell," Ichigo groaned, running a hand through his orange hair and gazing over at his eldest son. "What have you done now?"

"You always have to think the worst, don't you Dad?" Shiro said, shaking his head as he gazed into his dad's brown eyes. "Mom, would you like to relay the message so he'll quit staring at me with that accusatory look in his eyes?"

Rukia nodded, turned to her husband and said in a stunned voice, "Captain Kurosaki, you're looking at your new third seat officer."

**"WHAT?!"**

Shiro laughed at the expression on his dad's face. "That's priceless. Even better than I thought it would be."

"But you can't. . ." Ichigo stammered. "You're not even. . ."

"Apparently I'm now a Substitute Shinigami," Shiro said. "At least that's what Ukitake said."

Ichigo's jaw dropped even further however his look of surprise was soon replaced by one of triumph. "Now you have no choice but to obey my orders because not only am I your father but now I'm your captain as well."

Shiro smirked, enjoying his dad's logic. "Tell you what Dad. I promise right here and now that I will obey your orders to the same extent that you obey the ones from your superior."

Rukia snorted. "Oh that's great. He's got you Ichigo."

"I know just the job for you," Ichigo said, gazing at his son with evil intent in his eyes.

"I'm not doing your paperwork," Shiro stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

Rukia had to resist the urge to laugh out loud as she gazed over at her husband, who had an incredulous expression on his face. She couldn't help but think that this was a little bit of karma for all the times that he'd disobeyed orders.

A/N - hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review and tell me what you thought. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	48. Reflections

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach or any of the characters. However the plot and the OCs are all mine. Mine!

Chapter Forty-Eight - Reflections

Ichigo and Rukia had once again made the familiar (and in Ichigo's case much loathed) trip to Soul Society to attend an officers' meeting and now that it was over they were standing around with some of their friends, talking, laughing and generally having a good time. It wasn't often that they had the opportunity to get together but when they did they took advantage of the opportunity.

"So Kurosaki," Renji said as he approached his former rival, eyeing Ichigo in a speculative manner. "Where did you leave the kids? You usually at least bring the oldest one along to these things, just to annoy people is my guess."

"Yuzu's watching Kaien and Masaki and as for Shiro I left him in charge of Squad Five," Ichigo replied, looking for all the world as though he'd made the worst mistake of his life. "I'm not so sure that it was a good idea but Rukia insisted that he could handle it and I've learned over the years to listen to her."

Renji's gaze shifted from Ichigo to Rukia, his eyes wide and filled with shock. "What were you thinking Rukia? I mean I know he's your son and everything but damn, you're not stupid. You know how much trouble he's caused during his relatively short life and yet you left him alone with your squad. No, not just with your squad, actually in charge of it. Have you lost your mind?"

Rukia turned her gaze in the direction of her childhood friend, looking slightly offended by Renji's words. "I admit that Shiro-chan was precocious as a small child but he's really matured as of late."

"I've noticed that too," Matsumoto said in a quiet voice, a thoughtful expression on her face. "He's more serious now."

"You sound like you miss the old Shiro," Renji said, gazing at the Squad Ten Captain as though she'd lost her mind. "You know, come to think of it, Shiro tormented you just as much as the rest of us yet I've never once heard you complain about it. Why is that?"

That statement brought a smile to Matsumoto's face as she thought about her answer. "I always thought that Captain Hitsugaya was too serious, that someone his age should have some fun every once in a while. With Shiro I got to see what it would have been like if he'd actually taken my advice and I'm happy that at least he got to have the childhood that my captain was denied."

Renji arched a brow. "You're messed up in the head Matsumoto."

"Oh shut up Renji," Ichigo said, actually surprising himself with the fact that he was standing up for the Squad Ten Captain. She caused him just as much grief as the others and yet something about her words made him want to defend her. "You're just bitter about all of those times you played hide and seek with Shiro and lost him."

"I am not," Renji snapped, glaring at the Squad Five Captain. And yet there was a look in his eyes that said there might actually be some truth to Ichigo's words.

"Yea," Matsumoto said with a grin, enjoying the uncomfortable way that Renji was squirming. "I mean honestly, you'd think he would have learned not to play that game after the first time. But no, not him. He just kept on doing it and then he'd run to us when he lost the kid and couldn't find him."

Ichigo snorted. "Learning isn't exactly his strong suit."

"You know guys," Hisagi spoke up in a quiet voice. "In all fairness to Renji, he's not the only one who fell victim to that."

All eyes shifted to the Squad Thirteen Captain and Rukia asked, "What are you talking about Shuhei?" (She'd finally gotten over her insistence on calling him Captain Hisagi.)

"After your wedding," Hisagi said, gazing at Rukia and clearing his throat nervously. "The day after you and Ichigo left to go on your honeymoon Momo had a class to teach so she left Shiro with me. And of course I had work to do so I took him with me to the Squad Thirteen Barracks. We hadn't been there long before he. . . um. . . became bored and. . . um. . . he asked to play a game."

"Hide and seek," Ichigo supplied, finding it hard to believe that Hisagi, the most level-headed one in the group, had actually fallen prey to that. "And you were dumb enough to do it?"

Hisagi nodded. "But I had enough sense to tell the kid that we had to stay inside."

"So how long did it take YOU to find him?" Renji demanded.

"An hour and a half," Hisagi replied reluctantly.

"Why didn't I ever hear about this little incident?" Rukia asked, a confused look on her face. Things that happened inside the Seireitei were incredibly hard to hide, especially things that concerned Shiro, and yet this incident had remained completely unknown to her.

"I searched for Shiro myself," Hisagi explained, looking slightly sheepish. "Momo was the only one who ever knew about what happened and I made her promise not to tell anyone."

"Impressive," Renji muttered, wishing that he could have been so lucky. Every time that he'd been forced to search for the child he'd had to recruit help.

The group was silent for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts, and then Renji spoke up and changed the subject. "So do you think now that Shiro's achieved Bankai he'll get over his obsession with it?"

"Maybe," Ichigo said, thinking back to the time when Shiro had learned about Bankai. Matsumoto had been the first one to show it to him and after that the boy had begged everyone to do it. "He's seen almost everyone's Bankai at this point and now he's also achieved it himself."

Matsumoto picked up on a strange note in Ichigo's voice as he relayed this little piece of information. "You don't seem to particularly like this topic of conversation."

Rukia chuckled, knowing exactly why Ichigo didn't like to hear the words Shiro and Bankai together in the same sentence. "After he learned about Bankai, Shiro begged and begged for Ichigo to show him what his Bankai looked like. He persisted until Ichigo finally relented and showed him." The smile on Rukia's face widened at this point. "At which point Shiro said, and I quote, 'That's not your Bankai dad, it can't be."

Ichigo growled low in his throat. "It took years, literally, before I finally convinced the boy that I was really showing him my Bankai."

"Can't really blame the kid for not believing you," Renji pointed out, a slightly smug look on his face. "Your Bankai is slightly anti-climactic Ichigo."

"Shut up bone boy," Ichigo snarled, whirling on Renji, his eyes flashing fire. "I kicked your ass before I even had Bankai. More than once as a matter of fact."

"I didn't have Bankai either," Renji said in his own defense.

"Well now you do. You wanna take this outside and see who can take who?" Ichigo asked.

"You bet I do," Renji said.

"Stop it, both of you," Rukia snapped, grabbing Ichigo by the sleeve and glaring daggers up at him. "I swear, my son's gotten more mature and my husband's gotten less so."

"Even trade?" Isane asked, giving her own husband a look that practically dared him to say something.

"No," Rukia said, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. "Definately not."

"So," Matsumoto said, deciding that it would probably be a good idea to change the subject once again. "How is Shiro adjusting to being an actual member of Squad Five?"

"Surprisingly enough he's actually doing a pretty good job," Ichigo replied, surprising the group.

"You sound surprised Ichigo," Rukia said, arching a brow as she gazed over at her husband.

"I know my son," Ichigo said. "And I really expected for him to cause some kind of problem, at least in the beginning. But he's really stepped up and taken charge. It's almost like. . ."

"It's almost like he's turned into someone else," Matsumoto supplied, knowing how Ichigo felt.

Ichigo nodded. "And yet he's not really like Hitsugaya either. He's kinda like a mixture of the two."

"That's to be expected," a new voice joined the conversation. Head Captain Ukitake stepped up to the group at this point, his gaze shifting back and forth between Ichigo and Rukia. "Considering everything that has happened to him. He's had to do a lot of adjusting in a relatively short period of time. All things considered I think Shiro's turned out just fine."

"And that's a major accomplishment seeing as he was raised by Ichigo," Renji said with a smirk.

"Shut up," Ichigo snapped, glaring at his former rival.

Renji didn't heed the warning. "I can't believe Head Captain Ukitake actually let you take in a child. And not just any child but the reincarnation of a captain class Shinigami. It's a wonder he turned out as well as he did."

"I didn't have any say in the matter," Ukitake said, a soft smile on his face as he thought back to the day that Ichigo had came into his office and informed the old captain that he needed to meet the son that he and Rukia had adopted. "They'd already adopted Shiro before I knew anything about him. And besides, I knew that Rukia would do the majority of the child rearing and I knew she'd do a good job. I mean look how well Ichigo turned out."

Everyone laughed, with the exception of Ichigo, who merely glared at the Head Captain. "Keep talking old man and you'll find yourself short one captain."

Ukitake shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not worried Captain Kurosaki. If you resign I'll just let Rukia take over. It wouldn't really be all that different from how things are now. She already does most of your paperwork."

Rukia cleared her throat and arched a brow. "Most?"

"Alright all of it," Ukitake amended.

"That's more like it," Rukia said, a slightly smug expression on her face.

"Okay I get it," Ichigo said, throwing up his hands in exasperation. "The next time you're being terrorized by some psychopath don't come crying to me for help."

"Alright Ichigo we won't," Matsumoto said with a smile. "If something like that happens we'll just get your son to help out."

A horrified expression appeared on Ichigo's face at the very thought of Shiro saving HIM from something. He began shaking his head, as thought to rid himself of those visions. "I give up, you guys win. Man I hate coming to Soul Society."

"You complain entirely too much Ichigo," Matsumoto said.

Everyone except Ichigo laughed.

* * *

Shiro was out patroling the streets of Karakura Town while some of the other officers of Squad Five were having an unofficial meeting. Kaiya and a couple of the other officers were hanging out at the park, discussing the newest member of Squad Five.

"Can you believe that our little Shiro-chan is now the third seat of our squad?" Fifth seat Hitomi Saito asked the group.

"I can see it," Kaiya said, a smile on her face as she thought about the white-haired boy. "He's doing a good job. Plus he was a captain, kinda."

"There is that," sixth seat Yumi Rio said. "And I agree that he is doing a good job. Bit surprising given his track record."

"What do you mean?" Kaiya asked. "Shiro-chan's always been smart, a prodigy."

"I know this," Yumi said, sensing that she'd upset Kaiya with her words. She knew that Kaiya had always been extremely close to Shiro, ever since he'd been a very small child. "But you have to admit that he's caused his fair share of trouble."

Kaiya nodded. "He's changed though. He's more mature now, almost like a different person."

"Kaiya sounds like she misses the old Shiro," Hitomi said.

"I do kinda," Kaiya said, her gaze shifting to each face in the group in turn. "He used to be so carefree and now he's in charge. I can't help but feel for him slightly, I mean he is only eleven."

"It's okay Kaiya," Yumi said. "He'll always be Shiro-chan."

Kaiya nodded. The young white-haired boy would always be her little Shiro-chan but he also would never be the same, of that she was sure. The events of the past couple of weeks had changed him forever, be it for better or for worse.

"And you have to admit," Hitomi said, interrupting Kaiya's thoughts. "He's way better than Tomori."

"Oh yea," Yumi said while Kaiya nodded. "But then again, anyone would have been better than that jerk."

Kaiya laughed. "There is one thing that I'm going to miss now that Tomori's no longer in our squad."

"Oh yea?" Hitomi said, arching a brow. "And what's that Kaiya?"

"It was really fun to watch Shiro torment that smug jerk," Kaiya said, laughing softly as she thought back to the interaction between the two. "Always good for a laugh to watch the obnoxious, arrogant jerk get shown up by a little boy, especially before Shiro had any training."

"Oh yea," Yumi said. "That was great."

* * *

As he made his way across Karakura Town, in soul form and leaping from roof top to roof top, Shiro thought about how his life had changed recently. He now knew that the visions he'd been plagued with since the age of eight had actually been the memories of the late captain Toushirou Hitsugaya. After the mental breakdown that had almost ruined his life, not to mention almost destroyed his loved ones and the world of the living and Soul Society, Shiro had studied his past life and learned a lot about Hitsugaya's personality. The young captain had been a prodigy and also somewhat of a loner.

Shiro knew that the events had changed him forever, he was no longer the person he had been. It wasn't that he'd turned into Hitsugaya however he had taken on certain character traits from his former incarnation. Whether that change was for the better, only time would tell.

* * *

"So Head Captain Ukitake," Renji said, as the group of officers made their way out to the courtyard in front of the Squad One barracks. "How do you feel about the new and improved Shiro? I mean, considering how many times he hacked into your computer you should be thrilled with this change in his maturity level."

Rukia stopped in her tracks and turned to face the Head Captain. "How many times did he hack into your computer? I thought it only happened that first time when he was a kid and then the time when he found out about Captain Hitsugaya."

Head Captain Ukitake chuckled, not surprised that Shiro's mother didn't know anything about his exploits. "It was a rather frequent occurence actually Rukia. It was always fairly easy to fix so I never felt the need to tell you about it."

"Wait a minute," Matsumoto said, a confused expression on her face. "Computer problems were easy for YOU to fix?"

"I never said I was the one who fixed them," Ukitake said, shaking his head as he gazed in the direction of the Squad Ten Captain. "Kisuke was the one who undid the damage every time that boy decided to play a trick on me."

At this point Ichigo burst into uncontrolled laughter and the others turned to look at him as though he'd suddenly gone crazy, or since it was Ichigo, crazier.

"What is your problem?" Renji asked him.

"Urahara's the one who taught Shiro to hack in the first place," Ichigo said, shocking the entire group with this little bit of info.

"What?" Ukitake exclaimed, this being news to him.

Ichigo nodded, enjoying having a piece of information that the others were unaware of. "He's the one who bought Shiro his first computer and Yoruichi told me later that Urahara taught him all the tricks on how to use the thing. I can't believe you guys didn't know that."

"I can't believe it either," Ukitake said with a sigh. "You know, in one way or another, everything is always connected to Urahara."

"Of course it is," Ichigo said.

"You know what I can't believe," Renji said, glancing around at the group. "I can't believe that Yoruichi told Ichigo about this and not any of the rest of us."

"That is kind of surprising," Rukia said. "And what's more surprising is the fact that Ichigo's managed to keep this to himself all these years."

"Are you kidding me?" Ichigo said with a smirk. "If I'd told you guys about this then I would have missed out on a whole lot of good times."

A/N - and thus ends yet another chapter of Shiro's story. Only a few more to go and then we'll reach the end. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review and tell me what you thought. Reviews feed the soul. Until next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	49. The Truth at Last

Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach.

Chapter Forty-Nine - The Truth at Last

Shiro had made several more trips to the Rukongai to visit Shiori since he'd learned of her existence there and during these visits the young boy had learned one thing; Shiori was completely unable to look him in the eyes. Shiro would catch her just staring at him periodically however every time he did so she would quickly turn away and pretend that nothing had happened.

Now being the prodigy that he was Shiro began to watch Shiori out of the corner of his eye and he noticed that every time her gaze would linger on him for long periods of time she held this strange look in her eyes. It took a few visits, coupled together with a few more flash-backs from his life as Sojiro, before Shiro was finally able to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

_"I know that look," _Shiro thought to himself as he glanced at Shiori out of the corner of his eye and found her once again staring at him. Whirling around quickly he managed to face her before she was able to look away. "I know who you are!"

"What are you talking about Shiro?" Shiori asked, doing a fairly good job of sounding confused.

Shiro gazed at the woman intently. She hadn't changed all that much in appearance since her days in the world of the living, thanks to Soul Society's messed up aging, and Shiro's mind flashed back to his much loathed and long suppressed childhood memories. She'd held that look in her eyes even then although at the time Shiro had been too young to identify it. "My aunt. That was a nice touch but you can't hide the look that you get in your eyes every time you look at me. Back then I'd never seen it before but now I know it for what it is. It's the look a mother gives her child."

Shiori gasped in horror as those words escaped his mouth. Up until this moment she'd thought that she'd been doing a good job of hiding who she really was. _"I should have known. Sojiro was always perceptive, even as a very small child."_

"So why didn't you tell me that you were really my biological mother?" Shiro asked, gazing at Shiori intently and picking up on the fact that she'd made absolutely no attempt to deny his accusation. "And why, after all of these years, are you suddenly seeking a friendship?"

"I'm so sorry," Shiori said in a small voice, gazing at the young boy with tears in her eyes.

Shiro arched a brow. "You're sorry?"

"I swear I didn't know you'd be hurt," Shiori said, a pleading tone in her voice as she gazed at the child, desperately needing him to understand. "I didn't realize they could be so cruel, I'd never seen that side of them before. I thought giving you to them would be a way for you to be happy and have the life you deserved and for me to still be able to see you. It was selfish and I'm sorry but I'd just lost your father and I couldn't bare to lose you too."

"My. . . father. . ." Shiro repeated, his voice low.

Shiori nodded, a tormented expression in her eyes as she remembered the only man that she had ever loved. "Daisuke. He was. . . the most FUN person I'd ever met in my life and I loved him with all of my heart. I really thought that we'd end up getting married but he disappeared shortly before you were born. Without his support I knew, or at least the rational part of me knew, that I couldn't have you and yet I couldn't bring myself to end your life before it had even began. After all, you were completely innocent and didn't ask for any of this."

Shiro continued to stare at Shiori, completely speechless. When he'd came to the Rukongai in search of her today he hadn't expected to hear any of this and the young boy was finding it hard to get over his shock.

"I should have just let you go," Shiori sobbed, the tears that she'd been trying so desperately to hold at bay now falling unchecked down her face as she stared at the child that she had thought lost so many years ago. "It would have been so much better for you but I couldn't do it. It was selfish of me, I know, but I had no idea that they could ever do what they did. Leaving you. . ."

At the mention of his abandonment Shiro's mind flashed back to that moment in his life.

**Flashback**

Shiro wandered down what could barely be considered a path, alone, cold and completely terrified. His father had said they were taking a trip and had driven them out into a secluded area of the forest. Then, once they were there, he'd left Shiro alone without so much as an explanation of his actions. How long he wandered that lonely path in the forest he couldn't say however it was getting dark when another one of the monsters that had been terrorizing his family showed it's ugly face. It was a massive Hollow, much bigger than the ones that had been attacking his family for months and Shiro stumbled away from it, completely terrified. The Hollow made a move to attack, getting to within mere inches of the terrified child, when all of a sudden it exploded. That was the only way to describe what happened.

Eyes wide and horrified Shiro watched as the Hollow disintegrated and then his terrified gaze shifted to a man who was walking toward him. Eyes shielded by a green and white striped hat the man approached the child, who made a move to run from this newest threat but was quickly caught.

"Hold on there kiddo," the man said softly as he scooped the child up into his arms. "You know kid, you're going to be a force to be reckoned with in a few years so I think it would be best if we found a proper place for you."

**End Flashback**

Shiro's mind returned to the present at this point and he could only guess that he'd passed out at that moment. _"I don't believe it," _the young boy thought to himself, clenching his hands into fists as he thought back on what he'd just seen. _"You know I'm really beginning to despise repressed memories."_

"Shiro. . ." Shiori said, concern evident in her voice. "Are you alright?"

"No," Shiro snapped, turning away from her. "I've gotta go. I'll see you later."

With that Shiro used his flash-step and vanished.

Shiori's gaze lingered in the direction that she knew Shiro had gone, tears still flowing down her face. _"I knew that he'd hate me if he ever learned the truth of his birth. I'm so sorry Sojiro."_

* * *

His course of action cemented in his mind Shiro left Soul Society and traveled back through the Senkaimon to the world of the living. He couldn't believe that Urahara had actually been the man who'd found him after his parents, and he used that term loosely, had abandoned him. The man knew all about Soul Society and had most assuredly recognized Shiro for what he was; the reincarnation of a captain class Shinigami. "He knew all this and yet he still left me there. And I want to know why."

When he arrived back in the world of the living the young boy quickly made his way to Urahara's shop. He pulled the door open, without bothering to knock, and quickly stepped inside.

"If it isn't young Kurosaki," a familiar voice called out from a room down the hall. "I see you have your dad's manners."

Growling low in his throat but choosing to ignore that comment Shiro made his way down the hall to the room where the voice had come from. Pulling the door open he saw Urahara sitting at a low table, casually sipping tea. Shiro stopped just inside the door and glared down at the man.

"That look takes me back," Urahara said with a chuckle. "Care to tell me what exactly I did to gain your displeasure Toushirou?"

"You knew what I was and yet you still left me in that hellhole," Shiro said, his voice icy and his reiatsu causing the room's temperature to drop by at least a dozen degrees. "I want to know why."

"Got to admit I wasn't expecting that," Urahara said in a quiet voice, motioning for the young boy to join him at the table. He wasn't used to being out of the loop and yet Shiro's words had taken him completely off guard. "How did you find out?"

Shiro reluctantly sat down across from Urahara, still glaring daggers at him. "Repressed memories are becoming a real pain in my ass. This one showed up when I was talking to Shiori in the Rukongai."

"Your mother huh?" Urahara said, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Not surprising really. These things seem to happen more frequently when you're emotionally vulnerable."

"Guess I shouldn't be surprised that you know my mother," Shiro muttered, shaking his head. "Or even that you know that she is my mother, which I just found out by the way. Hell, you know everything."

"Not everything Toushirou," Urahara corrected. "And I actually only ever met Shiori once. Most of what I know I learned second hand."

"From who?" Shiro demanded, wondering who else knew that the young woman from the Rukongai was actually his birth mother.

A faraway look appeared on his face as Urahara's mind wandered back nearly thirteen years.

**Flashback**

"Why are you even still doing this Daisuke?" Urahara demanded, his gaze focused on the young man who stood in front of him and had just asked him for his help. "You aren't even a Shinigami anymore and you haven't been for a very long time so why do you continue with these missions? It's not your job anymore."

"I know it's not Captain," Daisuke replied, his gaze downcast. "But I can't just turn my back on people who need my help and she. . . I mean I. . ."

"You love her," Urahara said in a quiet voice. It wasn't a question, more a statement of fact.

Daisuke's eyes flew up to meet Urahara's and he wanted more than anything to deny that statement but he knew that he could not. So he merely nodded.

Urahara sighed. "Well, if you're going to protect her and hide your true identity then you'll need a special gigai. The one you currently have just won't cut it. With her spiritual awareness your cover will be blown in no time and we simply can't have that."

"Thanks Captain," Daisuke said, a grateful look in his green eyes.

"I'm not your captain anymore Daisuke," Urahara said, his gaze focused on the young man. "I lost that title when we were exiled remember?"

**End Flashback**

"Hey Urahara!" Shiro growled, beginning to lose what little patience he still possessed. "Snap out of it and answer the question damn it. Who told you about my mother?"

"His name was Daisuke Kasaya," Urahara said after a brief pause, thinking about the young man who had been so loyal. "He was the vice-captain of Squad Twelve back when I was the captain and I ended up getting him exiled along with myself."

"Daisuke. . ." Shiro repeated, thinking that for some reason that name sounded familiar to him. He thought back to Shiori's words. "Do you mean. . ."

"Your father," Urahara said, confirming the young boy's suspicions. "He was an incredibly devoted Shinigami so our exile hit him hard. Afterward he fled here, along with the rest of us, and continued battling Hollow on his own. He probably could have gone back to Soul Society after the war with Aizen. I think Ukitake would have welcomed him back but by that point he didn't have any desire to go back. And then he met your mother and it was love at first sight."

"And you knew about them?" Shiro demanded, jumping to his feet. This news absolutely infuriated him. "Knew about me?!"

Urahara nodded.

"You people and your secrets," Shiro growled. "Damn you."

The young boy turned at this point and stormed out of the room. Urahara watched him leave, a knowing look in his eyes.

**Flashback**

"Captain," Daisuke said, kneeling in front of the small table where Urahara sat sipping tea.

"I told you to stop calling me captain," Urahara said as he gazed up at his former subordinate. He hadn't held that position for many years and yet this loyal former subordinate of his simply wouldn't stop addressing him as such.

"Sorry," Daisuke said, his gaze downcast.

"It's okay," Urahara said, knowing that nothing he said would break this habit of his. He'd had it entirely too long. "So what do you need Daisuke? I know that look all too well."

"Do you know anything about what would happen if a Shinigami and a human had a child?"

"Shiori. . ."

Daisuke nodded. "Shiori's pregnant."

"Well," Urahara said, his gaze focused intently on Daisuke. "Isshin has three children and they're all normal, more or less."

"More or less?" Daisuke repeated, staring at Urahara with a confused expression in his green eyes. He wasn't sure if he liked the sound of that more or less bit.

Urahara nodded. "They're more spiritually aware than normal humans and his son, Ichigo, is actually a Shinigami."

"Is that even possible?" Daisuke asked, having never heard of such a thing happening before.

"It's exceedingly rare," Urahara told him. "But it can happen. Ichigo's the one who fought with Soul Society against Aizen and the Espada."

"So then my child could. . ."

"Most likely not," Urahara said. "But there's always that one one-hundredth of a percent chance."

"Wow."

Urahara's mind flashed from this memory to another; the day that Daisuke was killed. He'd been working in the shop when he felt a surge of reiatsu that was very familiar to him. And along with the reiatsu of his friend he felt that of a very strong Hollow. The two energies were mixing in a way that could mean only one thing; that the two were fighting. Concerned Urahara jumped to his feet. "Daisuke!"

Grabbing his cane Urahara quickly left his shop and followed the trail of his friend's reiatsu. When he found his friend he was shocked to see Daisuke involved in a heated battle with an Arrancar. His gaze swept the scene and he saw Shiori cowering on the ground, a terrified expression in her blue eyes. By the way her eyes were darting back and forth Urahara could tell that the young woman couldn't see what was going on above her however he had the feeling that she could sense it.

"Agh!"

Urahara's gaze instantly left Shiori and went to his friend and his eyes widened in horror as he watched his friend fall to the ground. And as the young man fell the Arrancar simultaneously disintegrated. Daisuke had managed to kill his opponent however it had cost him dearly.

Urahara rushed over to his friend and pulled Daisuke into his arms. Blood dripped from the corners of his mouth as he stared up into the face of his former captain and he clutched at the sleeves of Urahara's coat with what little strength he had remaining. "Captain. . . please. . . I need for you to watch over my family. Please."

Urahara nodded ever so slightly and his grip on his former subordinate tightened as he watched the life leave Daisuke's eyes.

"What's happening?" Shiori sobbed, her gaze shifting about wildly. "I don't understand." As her gaze shifted it fell upon Urahara and she gazed at him in alarm. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

Urahara placed Daisuke's body on the ground gently and then got to his feet. He walked over to the young woman and pulled something from his pocket. "It's time for you to sleep."

**End Flashback**

Picking up his cup of tea Urahara took a sip and then gazed out across the room. "I tried to look out for her Daisuke, I really tried."

**Flashback**

Urahara was out for a walk in the forest when he felt a familiar reiatsu, radiating from out in the middle of nowhere. Apparently Daisuke's child, whom Urahara knew to be named Sojiro, was indeed in that one one-hundredth of a percent and had indeed inherited powers from his father. In fact his powers were even more developed than Ichigo's had been. Instinctively knowing that he should investigate the situation he followed the little boy's reiatsu.

Urahara made it to the path where the small, white-haired child had been abandoned just in time to witness him being attacked by a Hollow. "Oh no you don't!" Urahara quickly pulled his zanpaktou from the cane that he was carrying and used it to kill the Hollow.

Then, once the Hollow had been destroyed, Urahara sheathed his sword and turned his attention to the terrified child. Urahara walked slowly toward the little boy, who immediately tried to run away from him.

"Hold on there kiddo," Urahara said to the child as he scooped the little boy up into his arms. "You know kid, you're going to be a force to be reckoned with in a few years so I think it would be best if we found a proper place for you."

At this point the child that he was holding sighed deeply and went limp in his arms. "Don't worry Sojiro, you're safe now."

**End Flashback**

"I kept my word to you Daisuke," Urahara mumbled, staring down in to his tea cup. "I took your son to an orphanage and had Yoruichi send troops from the Stealth Force, courtesy of Soi Fon, to keep an eye on him. Then I suggested, multiple times I might add, that Ichigo and Rukia should take picnics by this river, the road to which just happened to go by that orphanage. I knew it was only a matter of time before their paths crossed and I knew that they wouldn't be able to walk away once they got a glimpse of Sojiro."

* * *

Still slightly pissed off at Urahara for holding back such important information for so many years Shiro made his way back to his house, muttering darkly to himself. Even though the information had had some time to sink in Shiro still found it almost impossible to believe that Urahara had known everything. And not only had he known but he'd known the entire time and yet had never said anything.

"Damn it!" Shiro swore as he walked, still angered by what he had learned. "When will these people learn that keeping secrets doesn't benefit anyone?"

As the boy walked along the sidewalk, completely absorbed in his rantings, Shiro was suddenly attacked by an Arrancar. Shiro dodged to one side, missing being struck by the attack by mere seconds. There was a slightly evil looking glint in his blue-green eyes as he stared up at the Arrancar, which was preparing for a second attack. "You picked the wrong day to mess with me moron."

This said Shiro pulled his Gikongan from his pocket and quickly used it to assume his Shinigami form. Shiro leapt into the air, pulling Hyourinmaru from the sheath that he wore across his back. "Reign over the frosted, frozen sky, Hyourinmaru!"

The dragon of ice emerged from the tip of his zanpaktou and, with a flick of his blade Shiro sent it sailing toward the Arrancar. Now the Arrancar hadn't been expecting his victim to be a Shinigami, just some random kid with strong reiatsu, so he was completely unprepared for the attack.

"Jerk," Shiro muttered as he landed on the ground and watched the Arrancar disintegrate.

Feeling slightly more relaxed after the fight with the Arrancar Shiro continued on his way to his house. When he arrived he started to make his way upstairs to his room but then he remembered the look on Shiori's face when he'd left. Shiro sighed. "I can't leave this unresolved. I have to go back to Soul Society and talk to her."

Shiro knew that he had to explain that, while he wanted her in his life as a friend, she couldn't be his mom. It was true that she was the one who had given him life however Rukia was the one who'd always been there for him.

"I don't wanna do this," Shiro muttered to himself as he made his way downstairs to the Senkaimon.

When he arrived back in Soul Society Shiro immediately made his way to District Ten of the Rukongai. The young boy searched briefly for Shiori before finding her at the edge of the small village. "Hey," he called out as he walked toward her. "Sorry about earlier. I had something that I had to take care of."

Surprised that he'd returned Shiori gazed at the boy and she immediately picked up on the tormented expression in his blue-green eyes.

"Listen," Shiro said in a quiet voice, knowing what he had to say to her but unsure as to the best way to say it. "There's something that we need to talk about. Earlier when I said that I knew you were my mother I. . . I mean um. . ."

"I'm not your mother Toushirou," Shiori said quietly, gazing at the child with love in her eyes.

Shocked by her words Shiro raised his gaze to meet hers.

Shiori smiled at the young boy. "Yes, I did give birth to you and you will always hold a special place in my heart but Rukia's your real mother and she always has been. She took you in when you had no one else and loved you unconditionally, for which I will always be grateful. So don't worry about hurting my feelings Toushirou, I understand."

Shiro nodded ever so slightly and then, unexpectedly, rushed forward and wrapped his arms around Shiori's waist. After a shocked moment, during which all she could do was stare down at the boy who was clinging to her, Shiori wrapped her arms around him. This was the first time she'd been able to hold him since he was two years old and Shiori relished the feeling of him in her arms. She closed her eyes and briefly thought about how their life might have been if only Daisuke hadn't left.

_"We could have been a happy family," _she thought to herself sadly, running her hand through Shiro's snow white hair.

Shiro allowed Shiori to hold him in her arms for a few minutes before he slowly pulled away and gazed up at her. "We can still be friends right?"

Shiori nodded and offered the young boy a smile. "Of course Toushirou, I'd like that very much."

Shiro nodded. "Well I should probably get back to the world of the living. Since I'm actually a ranked member of Squad Five they expect me to do things now." Shiro paused at this point and smirked. "The very same things that they've spent my entire life telling me NOT to do. I wonder if they see the irony in this situation?"

"Take care Toushirou," Shiori said.

Shiro nodded. "I'll come back to see you again soon."

Shiro turned away and used his flash-step, instantly vanishing. The young boy made his way back to the Senkaimon and used it to go home to the world of the living. As he made his way upstairs Shiro's thoughts shifted once again to Urahara and now that he was calm and collected he noticed that there were several things that simply didn't make sense. Urahara had been the one who'd taught him how to hack into computer systems, which is how he came across the information on Hitsugaya. He'd also been the one who told Shiro about the rogue Shinigami who had joined forces with the Arrancar to wage war against Soul Society and the world of the living.

That seemed strange to Shiro; while everyone else had been doing everything in their power to keep Shiro in the dark about Soul Society's past, Urahara had been giving him the tools he needed to find out the information that everyone else was working so hard to hide from him.

"What the hell?" Shiro thought to himself as he climbed the stairs up from the basement.

"Hey Shiro-chan," Rukia said as her son appeared at the top of the stairs.

Shiro's gaze fell upon his mother and without warning he crossed the room and threw his arms around her.

"Um Shiro-chan," Rukia said, gazing down at the kid and placing her hand on his head. "Are you okay?" Shiro had been avoiding physical contact with everyone since the incident in Soul Society and now he was suddenly hugging her. Something seemed off about this turn of events.

"I'm fine," Shiro said, releasing his hold on his mother and acting as though nothing had happened. "Listen, I'm going out for awhile. Call me if you need me."

"Alright."

So, for the second time in less than two hours, Shiro made his way to the small shop that was situated at the other end of town. This time Shiro decided to be a little bit nicer so he actually knocked on the door instead of simply barging in like last time.

A few minutes passed and then the door slid open to reveal Urahara, who had a smirk on his face. "To what do I owe the pleasure this time Toushirou?"

"I need to talk," Shiro said.

Urahara gestured for Shiro to enter the shop and, once the boy was inside, closed the door behind him. The shopkeeper led the way back to the room where they'd met earlier and gestured toward the small table, on which sat two cups of tea.

"Do you have company?" Shiro asked, gazing around the room.

"You," Urahara said, a smug expression on his face.

_"The man really does know everything," _Shiro thought to himself as he sat down at the table.

"So what have you come to rant about this time Toushirou?" Urahara asked as he sat down across from the kid.

_"Nothing I hope," _Shiro thought to himself before he replied, "No rants, just a few questions."

"Questions huh?" Urahara said, gazing at the young boy intently. "And what would you like to know?"

"Why you taught me the fine art of hacking?" Shiro said, gazing over at Urahara intently. "Why did you made it a point to give me a Seireitei history lesson? Why you've been giving me hints about my past for years?" Shiro paused at this point, a look of complete understanding appearing in his blue-green eyes. "You wanted me to find out didn't you?"

Urahara took a sip of tea. "I wouldn't exactly say that I wanted you to know. Suffice it to say that I realized that keeping that knowledge from you would not end well for anyone concerned. Now, this being said I'm the last person on the planet who should be lecturing people about the dangers of keeping secrets so I simply gave you the puzzle pieces and hoped that you'd put them together."

"Hmm," Shiro said, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Well that was pretty much the reason why I came." The young boy got to his feet and gazed down at the shopkeeper. "Thanks for the tea Urahara."

Urahara nodded as Shiro turned and left the room.

"What's up with you?" a voice called out from another doorway, one that led to the back store room. "You aren't usually so forthcoming with people."

A smile appeared on his face as Urahara turned toward the sound of the voice and watched as a black cat walked toward him. "Well if it isn't my furry little trouble maker. Haven't seen you for awhile Yoruichi. Where have you been hiding?"

"I've been around," Yoruichi replied as she walked over and sat down beside Urahara. "And don't change the subject Kisuke. Why did you tell him all of that? Not to mention the information that you gave him earlier."

"Been around huh?" Urahara said, chuckling softly to himself. "Sounds like you've been spying on me."

"Don't tell me that you're still feeling guilty about Daisuke's death?" Yoruichi said, gazing up at her long time friend. "He was killed by an Arrancar Kisuke, you had nothing to do with it."

"He was here because of me," Urahara said quietly. "Daisuke was my vice-captain and he was exiled because of me. If he hadn't been so loyal then he could have stayed in Soul Society. You can't tell me that's not my fault Yoruichi. Then I promised him that I'd look after his family and then I allowed his child to be abused and abandoned and the woman he loved to commit suicide."

"None of that was your fault," Yoruichi said, glaring at Urahara with her yellow, cat eyes, looking for all the world as though she'd like to strangle him or at the very least claw his eyes out. "You couldn't watch them twenty-four/seven. You did what you could."

"Maybe," Urahara said. "But I knew that if something happened and Toushirou snapped he'd be more dangerous if he found out about Hitsugaya when he was older so I made a choice. And when the boy asked about it, for some reason I couldn't evade his questions no matter how much I wanted to. I felt compelled to tell him the truth."

"You're getting soft in your old age Kisuke," Yoruichi said gazing up at him. "And I suppose I should have known it was something close to home all those years ago when you told me to have Soi Fon send members of the Stealth Force to guard some random orphanage. It did seem odd to me that you specified that the guards had to be new Shinigami. Should have checked it out for myself."

Urahara shrugged. "Couldn't have them finding out about Hitsugaya's reincarnation. I needed Soul Society in the dark about that for as long as possible."

"So you had me send people who wouldn't recognize Shiro for who he was," Yoruichi said, impressed as always with his plotting skills. "And then, to top it all off, you acted all surprised when I came to you and told you that Ichigo and Rukia had adopted a child when in fact that had been your plan all along."

Urahara didn't comment on that particular accusation. He merely gazed down at Yoruichi, the corners of his mouth twitched up in a half smile.

"So tell me Kisuke," Yoruichi said. "Why did it have to be Ichigo and Rukia? There were plenty of others who would have jumped at the opportunity to raise that little boy."

"You're probably right," Urahara admitted. "But all of them were close to Hitsugaya. With Ichigo and Rukia, although they knew the late captain and Rukia actually owed him her life, they were distant enough that I knew they wouldn't try to turn Shiro into him. I knew they'd let the boy grow into the person he was meant to be."

Yoruichi nodded in understanding. "So did all your evil plans turn out the way you thought they would?"

"Well I certainly didn't expect our little Toushirou to snap and go ballistic on half of Soul Society," Urahara admitted. "But other that that I think things turned out as good as I could have hoped for. I think Daisuke would be proud of his son."

A/N - and Urahara still knows everything. He was the mastermind behind it all. And as to the vice-captain that I gave him for this story just remember that Reincarnation is AU so anything goes. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review and share your thoughts. It's always a pleasure to read what you guys think about the story. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	50. Come to Terms

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach

Chapter Fifty - Come to Terms

It was the first day that the boy had had completely to himself since officially joining the ranks of Squad Five and Toushirou Kurosaki found himself sitting on the bank of a familiar river surrounded by a grove of trees. He hadn't visited this spot since the day that he'd taken Shiori there however he'd felt the need to relax and this was the best spot in which to do that. Shiro was leaning up against a tree with his knees pulled up under his chin and his arms wrapped around them protectively. Hyourinmaru lay on the ground at his side, the zanpaktou uncharacteristically quiet.

So much had happened in the last month and Shiro still found it a little hard to believe. First he'd found out that the visions he'd been plagued with for the past three years were actually the memories of his former incarnation Toushirou Hitsugaya, the captain of Squad Ten before Matsumoto. Then, before he'd even had time to fully recover from the shock of that knowledge he'd been dealt another blow when he'd met someone from his past while taking a walk through the Rukongai. Seeing Shiori that day had brought long suppressed memories to the surface and the young boy had been forced to recall his abuse-filled life as Sojiro Hayata, the identity that he'd held before being adopted by Ichigo and Rukia Kurosaki. And as if all of that hadn't traumatized him enough Shiro had later found out that Shiori wasn't his aunt, as she had claimed at first, but was in fact his birth mother.

_"I am so messed up," _Shiro thought to himself as he gazed out at the river.

Now this wasn't the first time in his rather young life that Shiro had made this statement. In fact he'd had occassion to say it a number of times over the past three years however now it was said in a light tone of voice as opposed to the scared and confused tone that he'd always used before.

_"Hyourinmaru was right," _Shiro thought to himself, glancing down at his sheathed zanpaktou. _"I really do have multiple personality disorder."_

Shiro had confronted Shiori when he'd found out that she was his birth mother and the two of them had worked things out. Although Shiro was fond of the woman and really wanted to have a relationship with her, the fact was that she wasn't his mother. She had given birth to him however Rukia was the one who had raised him after the people who had claimed to be his parents had abandoned him. She was the one that had always been there for him and that was the reason why Rukia would always be his mother.

That revelation, the fact that Shiori was his birth mother, had led to a couple of other facts; facts that were far more shocking. The first was that Kisuke Urahara, former Shinigami and long time friend of the Kurosaki family, was the one who had found him after his first set of adopted parents had abandoned him. Then, when Shiro had confronted Urahara, the shopkeeper had revealed the fact that he'd known Shiro's biological father.

_"Father. . ."_

Shiori had told Shiro about his father Daisuke, whom she thought had abandoned them, however Urahara had been the one to reveal the fact that Daisuke had been a Shinigami and had been killed while protecting his pregnant girlfriend and his unborn child from an Arrancar. This little revelation made far more sense than Shiro wanted to admit and explained why it was that he'd been born with Shinigami powers.

Shiro sighed as he thought about all of these things. People had been keeping secrets from him his entire life and although Shiro was still slightly upset by that fact he did understand why they had done it. Their intentions had been noble, they had only been trying to protect him, however they had inadvertantly caused him a tremendous amount of pain. The memories belonging to Captain Hitsugaya had almost destroyed him and he, in turn, had almost destroyed everyone he held dear.

Shiro wasn't angry at the adults anymore although he still didn't understand why they didn't just tell him about Captain Hitsugaya. It would have saved everyone a lot of grief if they'd just trusted him to be able to handle the knowledge of his former incarnation.

"Captain Hitsugaya. . ."

As Shiro thought about the young captain who's soul he now possessed the young boy got the craziest idea that he'd ever had. Getting to his feet Shiro picked up Hyourinmaru and tied the sash that would secure the zanpaktou across his back. Then he made his way back to the Seireitei and once there he journeyed to the one spot that he'd never visited. The cemetery.

Without really knowing where he was going the young boy made his way through the cemetery and instinctively ended up at the grave of Captain Hitsugaya. Shiro's eyes widened as his gaze fell upon the grave marker, which was truly one of a kind. Instead of the usual slabs of granite a huge piece of ice stood sentinel over the grave of the prodigy and engraved upon it was the picture of the young Captain of Squad Ten.

"I realize that this is kinda weird," Shiro said in a quiet voice as he gazed at the etched picture of Captain Hitsugaya, still amazed by just how similar the two of them looked. "I mean I possess your soul so I know that you're not here but I just felt this pressing and urgent need to come."

As Shiro stood gazing at the grave marker he suddenly felt better than he had in a long time. He wasn't Hitsugaya, even though they looked practically identical and he possessed the young captain's soul, and he wasn't Sojiro even though that was the identity that he had been born with. He was something of a mixture between the two of them however he had his own distinctive personality.

"I am Toushirou Kurosaki," the young boy said with a confidence that he'd never felt before. "And I am my own person."

With this thought in mind the young boy turned away from the grave marker and slowly walked away from the grave of his former incarnation. He had no idea why things had turned out the way that they had however he knew that he was stronger because of it and he was determined to make sure that he made the most of his life. This was the thought that occupied Shiro's mind as the young boy made his way toward the Senkaimon that would take him home.

A/N- And thus ends another chapter and this one was really short. There's only one more chapter left, which is a epilogue to the story, and then it's over. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to review and let me know what you thought. And for anyone who's wondering what happened to Heikichi, fear not. This story has a sequel and he'll have a fairly significant role in that fic. And I just want to mention that I love my best friend lieutenant-taijiya for being my ghost writer and typing my stories for me while I'm broken. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	51. Epilogue

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach nor am I making any money from this. Just having a little fun.

Epilogue

Three Years Later

Fourteen year old Toushirou Kurosaki was sitting at his father's desk in the office that the Squad Five Captain shared with his vice-captain, Shiro's mother Rukia, and the third seat officer of Squad Five was working on the paperwork that by all rights Ichigo should be doing. Rukia was sitting at her own desk on the other side of the office, likewise working on paperwork. Neither spoke as they attempted to catch up on the mountain of paperwork that had accumulated.

"Mama, we wanna go to Soul Society."

Rukia glanced up from her paperwork as her three year old son walked through the open door into her office. The little boy was followed moments later by his twin and the little girl added, "We wanna go and play with Ayana."

Rukia stared down at the huge stack of paperwork that Ichigo had left her with when he'd gone off chasing Hollow and sighed. She wanted to make her children happy but this had to be done. Putting it off would only cause it to pile up even more and the Squad Five vice-captain wasn't sure that she could handle that possible outcome. She was already fighting the urge to kill the father of her children. "I'm sorry babies but. . ."

Tears appeared in both sets of big eyes, one violet and one brown, but before the twins had the chance to let go the water works Shiro spoke up from his spot at Ichigo's desk. "I'll take them to visit their friend, if that's okay with you Mom."

"Please?" both children begged, their gazes shifting back and forth between their mother and their older brother.

Rukia weighed the benefits of having Shiro's help with the paperwork against the odds of getting anything accomplished with two upset toddlers in the house and then she nodded. "Alright. But Kaien, Masaki you make sure that you listen to your brother."

"Okay," the twins chorused happily.

"Thanks Shiro-chan," Rukia said as her eldest son got to his feet.

"Not a problem," Shiro said, as he straightened up the stack of paperwork that he'd finished. "I still maintain that Dad should be doing this anyway."

"He should," Rukia said, nodding her head in agreement as she gazed over at her eldest son. "But ever since you became third seat he's been slacking off."

Shiro raised one eyebrow.

"Slacking off more," Rukia quickly amended.

Shiro laughed and offered his hands to his siblings. Kaien immedietely seized his brother's right hand while Masaki grabbed his left. "Come on guys. Field trip."

"Yay!"

Rukia smiled as she watched her children depart. It still amazed her how good Shiro was with the little ones and Kaien and Masaki absolutely adored their big brother. "Life is good," Rukia said with a sigh, picking up her pen and resuming her paperwork. "Even if Ichigo is to lazy to do his own paperwork."

* * *

Shiro led the way down to the basement that housed the Senkaimon however before he opened the portal that led to Soul Society he turned to his siblings and gazed down at them, a serious expression in his blue-green eyes. "Now before we go what's the first rule when you go somewhere with Nii-san?"

Kaien spoke first, "No matter what happens. . ."

Masaki piped up, "Don't tell Mom and Dad."

"Exactly," Shiro said with a smile.

The broad smile still on his face Shiro stepped through the Senkaimon, his two younger siblings in tow. When the three Kurosaki children arrived in the Seireitei Shiro began to lead the way toward Hinamori's house however Kaien and Masaki both pulled on his hands, effectively pulling him to a stop.

"Nii-san," Masaki said in her soft voice, gazing up at her brother with her big, violet eyes.

"What is it Masaki?" Shiro asked as he paused and gazed down at his two younger siblings.

"Let's go to Squad Ten," Masaki said, pulling on her brother's hand and gazing in the direction of the Squad Ten barracks.

"But I thought that you guys wanted to go see Ayana?" Shiro said.

"We can go there next," Kaien said, quickly joining his twin's side. The two children often tag-teamed their older brother and Shiro was by no means surprised that they were doing it to him now. The fact that it usually worked more than likely encouraged this tactic. "Let's go see Ran-san," the little boy persisted.

Shiro sighed but after a few moments of contemplation he nodded his head. All things considered it was a tame request and Shiro decided that it wouldn't hurt for the three of them to stop by the Squad Ten barracks. "Fine," he said. "A quick visit to Squad Ten and then we're going straight to Hinamori's house. You got that?"

"Okay Nii-san," both twins said simultaneously.

So Shiro led the way across the Seireitei and when the trio arrived at the Squad Ten barracks they ran into the vice-captain, Kin Soma. Kin offered the Kurosaki siblings a wide smile. "Well if it isn't the Kurosaki triplets." Kin often called them that because more often than not they could be found together. "And what brings you three to Squad Ten?"

"The twins wanted to visit Ran-san," Shiro replied, his gaze going briefly to the two small children who were walking by his side before returning to the Squad Ten vice-captain.

"Feel free," Kin said, smiling at the three children. "But I think the captain's asleep."

Upon hearing this news Shiro glanced down and saw that both Kaien and Masaki were smiling. Instantly he knew what the twins had been hoping for when they requested the trip to Squad Ten. "That's okay," he said to Kin, a smirk on his face. "I know how to solve that problem."

Nodding Kin offered Shiro a knowing smile and then went on about her business.

Shiro led the way to Matsumoto's office, with the twins trailing along behind him, and when they reached the office, he slid the door open. Sure enough when they entered the office the kids found Matsumoto sitting at her desk, sound asleep.

"Wake her up Nii-san," Kaien said, gazing up at his big brother with a hopeful expression in his big, brown eyes.

Although he knew that he should discourage the twins' desire to torment the Captain of Squad Ten, truth be told Shiro never tired of this game and without hesitation he walked across the office and snapped, "Matsumoto!"

Jarred from a deep sleep the Squad Ten Captain jumped to her feet and stood at attention, her spine ramrod straight. "Yes Captain!"

Both twins burst into uncontrollable laughter and even Shiro had to smirk as he gazed over at Matsumoto and saw her shocked expression turn to one of annoyance.

"Toushirou!" Matsumoto snapped, her narrow-eyed gaze focused on the boy who had once again turned into the bane of her existence.

"Sorry Ran-san but I couldn't resist," Shiro said in his own defense. "And it just never gets old."

"Speak for yourself," Matsumoto muttered under her breath.

"Besides," Shiro continued, virtually ignoring Matsumoto's comment. "The twins put me up to it."

Matsumoto gazed down at the two children who stood a few feet away from Shiro and saw that both twins had angelic expressions on their faces. She wasn't entirely sure that she believed what Shiro had told her although she wasn't convinced by the innocent looks either. Those children of Ichigo's were always up to something.

"You know I've been thinking about something for awhile," Shiro said, breaking the silence that had descended upon the group.

"What's that Shiro?" Matsumoto asked, inwardly wondering whether or not she really wanted to know. With Shiro's mind this could be anything and she found that she was somewhat worried about what the kid was about to confide with her.

"Mom and Dad must have a morbid sense of humor."

Matsumoto was confused by this statement. "And why do you think that Toushirou?"

"Well," Shiro said. "My siblings and I are all named after dead people. And I actually used to BE the person that I was named after. Don't you think that's a little messed up?"

"Maybe just a little," Matsumoto admitted. "But your parents did it to honor their friends, Captain Hitsugaya included, and a member of their family."

"I guess," Shiro said, shrugging his shoulders. "I still think it's weird."

"Nii-san," came two little voices, breaking into the conversation.

Shiro gazed down into the upturned faces of his siblings. "What is it guys?"

"Let's go see Ayana," Masaki said.

Shiro sighed. Now that they'd caused a little trouble at Squad Ten they were content to continue the journey to visit their friend. "Fine. Tell Ran-san bye and let's go."

The twins turned toward the Squad Ten Captain. "Bye Ran-san," they said in one voice.

"Bye," Matsumoto said, waving to the trio as they turned to leave her office.

After leaving the Squad Ten barracks Shiro led the way across the Seireitei to the small house that Momo Hinamori shared with her husband Shuhei Hisagi and their young daughter Ayana. Ayana was a month younger than the twins and the three children were the best of friends. As they approached the house however they saw that Hinamori and her daughter were leaving, hand in hand.

"Hey Momo," Shiro called out as he and his siblings closed the distance that separated them.

Hinamori glanced up and smiled as her gaze fell upon Shiro and his siblings. "Hey Shiro-chan. What are you guys doing?"

"Mom was trying to do paperwork but the twins wanted to visit Ayana," Shiro explained. "So I volunteered to bring them. Did we interrupt something?"

"I was just on my way to the Academy to take care of a couple of things," Hinamori said.

"Aww," Kaien and Masaki whined in unison.

"Hey," Shiro said, noticing that Ayana's facial expression perfectly mimiced the disappointed look of his siblings. "Why don't I watch Ayana while you run your errands? That way the kids can play together and you'll be free to do whatever you need to do."

Hinamori smiled at the young white-haired boy. "That would be wonderful. Are you sure you don't mind Shiro-chan?"

Shiro shrugged. "I've already got two of them, what's one more? Go ahead, we'll be hanging around here somewhere."

Hinamori nodded and leaned down to give her daughter a kiss on the forehead. "I'll see you later sweetie. Now you be good for Shiro okay?"

"Yes ma'am," Ayana said in her soft edged voice.

Hinamori nodded and walked away, leaving Shiro standing near the front porch with the three children gazing up at him.

"So," Shiro said as his gaze shifted from Hinamori's back and down to the three small children who were crowding around him. "Now what?"

"Tell us a story Nii-san," Ayana piped up, grabbing Shiro by the hand. "Please. . ."

"A story huh?" Shiro said, smiling at the fact that Hinamori's small daughter called him big brother. She'd been addressing him that way for as long as she'd been able to talk and he thought it was cute and was pretty sure that Hinamori had put her up to it. "What do you think Kaien, Masaki, do you guys wanna hear a story?"

"Yea!" the twins exclaimed in unison.

"Alright then," Shiro said with a smile, leading the way over to a large shade tree that was situated a short distance away from the house. "A story it shall be then." The young boy's thoughts flashed back to a similar experience during his own childhood and immediately knew which story he would tell the children. "Okay," he said as he and the kids settled down in the grass. "Once upon a time, in a land far, far away. . ."

"You mean the living world?" Masaki piped up without missing a beat.

Shiro smiled at his little sister. "Exactly."

A/N- And that's it, the end. Sniff, sniff, I must admit that I'm a little sad that it's over. Thank you for accompanying me on this epic journey and to all of you who have submitted reviews for this story I am truly grateful. Please leave a final review to this, the final chapter of Shiro-chan's story, and tell me what you thought. For those of you who have enjoyed this story and want Shiro's adventures to continue there is a sequel, titled Return to Soul Society. You should check it out although it won't be as intense as this one. And if there are any questions that you feel were left unanswered then feel free to send me a PM and I'll try to answer them in the sequel. Once again hope you enjoyed. This is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


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